


The Rehablitation of Dawn Bellwether

by Wastedtimeee



Series: The Rehabilitation of Dawn Bellwether AU [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action & Romance, Drama, F/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 18:20:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 134,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11385768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wastedtimeee/pseuds/Wastedtimeee
Summary: It's been four years since the Night Howler scandal and Dawn Bellwether, now a free sheep, struggles to rejoin and redeem herself in the eyes of a world that sees her as a monster. Along the way she struggles adjusting to life outside, getting tangled in a new conspiracy, and finding friendship and more in a unexpected place.





	1. A Prisoner's Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning for a while to get this story posted up on Archive ever since I was first told about it months ago. But It kept slipping to the back burner for the longest time. This story is already done, and I'm currently in the middle of a sort of sequel for it. But I don't want to spoil anything for you. 
> 
> This is a clean version of the story, and is at the moment the only story I've posted here. But if you want to check out my Fanfiction.net account, you can find deleted chapters (Warning:Smutty) and the pseudo-sequel to this story. "A Lamb Among Wolves", at least until I post it here.
> 
> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7951800/
> 
> I also have a tumblr where you can ask characters from the story all sorts of questions, and it has little comics for some of them.
> 
> "askdawnandvern.tumblr.com". 
> 
> But spoiler warning, the blog takes place after the story. So read this first. As for further notes I'm not going to really leave any, since this has already been posted before in other places. I will still include a Zootopian Slang dictionary preceding the next chapter, just so you guys aren't lost when the characters start throwing around animal terms. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Oh, one last thing, feel free to check out my Deviant Art for SFW art from the story and high res pictures of the covers and so on.
> 
> https://wastedtimeee.deviantart.com/
> 
> Thank you, and enjoy the story!
> 
> -WT

"...and I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way!" The voice was her own, but somehow she was looking down on herself as if she were outside. The ewe stood triumphantly, watching the events unfold in the pit below. She wanted to stop herself, to do something, but it was like watching a movie. The Bellwether standing there couldn't hear her pleas to stop. 

Suddenly she found herself in a body again, but in a different perspective. She could see the painted diorama surrounding her, she could feel the fake grass beneath her hooves, and most horrifyingly she could see a dark shape creeping toward her. As Dawn backed against the wall in terror, she glanced up to still find herself standing near the rim of the pit. Now standing among the various members of the ZPD, Judy and her fox friend included, all leering down at her. More mammals approached, and she could make out the various predators who had went missing, each wearing a veneer of revulsion as they joined to watch the spectacle. 

"It's time you see what a true "savage" is Dawn." Her doppelganger said, looking at her with disgust. Dawn turned back to the beast in the pit, it was closer now and the shadow cast over it had begun to fade. She could see its hunched and gnarled form, its unevenly clipped wool randomly strewn about its body, its long hooves untrimmed and twisted into sharp spiky protrusions. Its teeth, uneven and oddly sharp as drool slathered out of its maw, Its piercing green eyes filled with so much ire, so much pure hate. It was her, a disgusting, twisted, mutated reflection of her. It moved closer, steam pouring from its nostrils. It sneered at its quarry, causing the ewe to start sobbing. She looked up again to see the pit had become surrounded with various mammals, both predator and prey, all staring at her with the same burning hatred the beast now did. She pleaded and begged them to help her, to show her mercy, but not one of them moved. She turned again to see the creature nearly on her now, frothing at the maw. 

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She sobbed. The beast reared back and dove straight for her neck.

Dawn started awake with a gasping sob. She sat up and quickly felt around for her glasses. Finding them at the edge of her cot, she fumbled to get them to her face. Once they were finally on, she began to use the exercise her therapist had taught her to calm her breathing.

"Breath in." She sucked in air sharply. "Hold it." She thought as she counted a full ten seconds. "And exhale." The air escaped her lungs and she could start to feel the tension fall away. 

As her mind began to clear her room began to come into focus. Same grey walls, same stone floor, same reinforced steel door. She was still in prison, still in solitary, her modern day home. She slowly laid back down, glancing at the nearby window to see the beginning of the golden rays of dawn peeking between the bars. It was probably about an hour till wake up call, so she surmised. With so little stimuli being confined, after a while she became attuned to small things like that. The different ways the sunlight spilled across the floor at various times throughout the day. Bellwether sighed, staring up at the concrete ceiling.

Today was the day, the day that filled her with a horrible mixture of both joy and dread. And now, unable to get back to sleep she found her thoughts drifting back to the start of everything.

The ride in the squad car was silent. There were no protests or pleas. The ewe was too frozen in sheer terror. So many thoughts were running through her head that it left her paralyzed. She was caught, outsmarted, her plans unraveled so suddenly and unexpectedly. The previous half hour was especially a blur, almost as if someone else had been in control of her at the time. 

"Did I really try to kill Judy?" That was the primary thought that kept rising in her mind. Despite the steadily rising torrent of emotions, she remained silent during the short ride. Only occasionally did she glance at the rearview mirror fearing she'd catch Chief Bogo's glare. The water buffalo had announced that he'd personally deal with Bellwether's detainment back at the museum. She expected he'd volunteered so he could tell her just what he really thought of her in the privacy of the squad car, but he remained as silent as the grave. His silence simply persisted as they arrived at the ZPD, as he lead her through the registration process, and finally as he dropped her off in an empty jail cell. It was only as he went to leave the cellblock that she finally caught a glance, and realized why he hadn't spoken. His eyes were filled with disappointment, and there were no words the water buffalo could say to convey just how much. When she was finally left alone, the tears finally came and the little ewe collapsed into a heap on the cold stone floor.

Neither Bogo, nor Judy were put in charge of her interrogation, instead she was grilled by several different officers over the course of the next day. They had all been prey thankfully; chances are Bogo didn't want any member of the force who may be too emotionally invested in the nature of the case dealing with her. Even the best predator officers probably risked their composure slipping when faced with her crimes, but that's not to say the prey were without their reservations. One rhino had to be restrained to keep from striking her; apparently he had a great deal of predator friends.

Bellwether did her best to cooperate, to tell them everything. But all the thoughts, all the emotions strangled her words. And at the end of the day her accounts were rendered incomprehensible to most. In the grand scheme of things it hadn't mattered anyway, the police got enough out of her accomplices to put the story together. 

Within the week she heard news that Leodore Lionheart had been released, although he was not fully exonerated of his role in the whole affair. While he was free, he would be monitored for several months, and his political career was over. His former job went to the next officials in line after Bellwether. A Snow Leopard named Adele Snow was inducted as mayor, and the one below her, a buck by the name of Elton Hart became the replacement assistant mayor. There was a ceremony to honor the newly sworn in and shortly after there was yet another celebration to honor the diligent work of Officer Hopps and her fox friend for cracking the night-howler case. She remembered watching that one on the close circuit TV, and the particularly biting comment referring to her"...a deranged and corrupt un-mammal." The words stung, but they weren't wrong.

The next few weeks felt like an eternity. Her bail was set astronomically high, not that it mattered. It could have been as low as a penny and there wouldn't have been a soul to bail her out. She hadn't cultivated many friendships over the years, and her attempts to contact her family had led to their refusal to even visit her. Her father was especially adamant to recant her as his daughter over the phone, claiming her actions had forever tainted the "Bellwether" name. Her father had always been a hard ram, very cold and un-emotional. And if she hadn't been so upset she would have laughed at his hypocrisy. If she had never been caught and he had known what she did he would have been bursting with pride. So she remained in jail, left to keep herself occupied with what little it had on offer, which consisted of limited TV, and three novels she had fully read on her second day. All that remained was her thoughts, which at this point were stifling. She used her time to try to organize them, to figure out what she was going to say. Most importantly, to try to make some sense of how she reached the point where she had been willing to kill. 

When the trial finally came a month later, she faired a bit better than her interrogation. On the witness stand she was able to lay out everything she thought and did in the correct order, only breaking into tears a few times during. She didn’t lie, she was far too afraid to. She explained that she had problems with predators all her life, but working under Lionheart was what broke her. What started as simple revenge spiraled into a logic that saw all predators the same way, a problem that needed to be dealt with. The ultimate plan was eventual exile of all predators to a predator only district which would have been proposed and designed when the frenzy of fear reached its zenith. The earliest dartings were of predators directly around Lionheart, and each subsequent darting was calculated in such a way that Lionheart would capture the savage before any mammals were hurt. 

Her plan nearly had derailed a few times, but she managed to steer it back in the right direction. The otter was an accident, she never wanted to dart him. But he happened to witness a savage transformation, and being a florist he was able to deduce the cause. She initially had her Hench Rams follow him and instructed them to scare him. Rather than cower in response, Otterton doubled down and ran to Mr. Big. At that point there was no going back, he had to be silenced. Unfortunately he had to blab to the limo driver before his transformation, so again the problem had to be dealt with. Still Dawn had been able to steer the missteps into the desired outcome, and Officer Hopps exposed Lionheart placing Bellwether in power. 

When it came to Judy’s role in the plan, Dawn admitted it came from a feeling of kinship to the rabbit. She could have left breadcrumbs for any ZPD officer to find, but she saw herself in Judy and wanted her to reach her dreams. She wanted her to be living proof that even the smallest of prey were capable of great things. But then came the beginning of the end, starting with Judy’s refusal of Dawn’s offer and subsequent resignation. That had surprised and hurt Dawn. At the point she had seen Judy as her friend, someone who would understand her, and Dawn had helped make her career after all. At first she was left saddened by the rabbit’s departure, but as the days went on it grew into anger. How dare she spurn Dawn’s efforts after all she had done for her, she had offered her greatness, to be an Idol to Zootopians as well as prey everywhere. She thought if she ever saw Judy again she would make her pay for insulting her somehow. It was later when she would get that chance. The train, the museum, Judy and that fox. The little lamb, already furious and now close to being exposed tipped over the edge and attempted to put Judy down for good.

She had ended her testimony stating how thankful she was that the serum had been switched, after the anger faded she couldn’t have lived with thought of being responsible for Judy’s death. She was sorry, sorry for everything. The Jury seemed unmoved, not that Dawn cared. She knew they wouldn’t believe a word of her testimony anyway. That last line was delivered to reach out to the rabbit sitting in the courtroom, an attempt at an apology to a friend she once held dear. 

The other testimonies went the way you would expect of them. Those who had worked with Bellwether like Doug and Walter passed the blame strictly on her. Bogo had simply gone over the facts of the case. The fox, who she would learn was named Nick opened his statements with various jokes before the judge threatened to hold him in contempt of court. After which the clearly fear stricken fox just stuck to his account of events. During all this she simply sat, trying her best to keep it together. If she kept crying she felt the Jury could be even harder on her, perceiving it as crocodile tears.

Lionheart accidently called her Smellwether on the stand, which was the only time she felt anger wash over her during the proceedings. It didn’t surprise her that despite everything he hadn’t changed, still a pompous jackass. He boldly stated that he had always found something off about Dawn, and should have known one day she’d crack.

“They say it’s the quiet ones you have to watch, and I should have.” Leodore spoke in faux sorrow. In that moment she was at least glad that if anything good came from her crimes, it was ruining his career.

Judy’s testimony had hurt Dawn the most. It was not filled with vitriol or bile. In fact it was simply somber and clinical. Each fact was delivered with seemingly no feeling. It was only when they had caught each others eyes near the end of her testimony did Dawn see the disappointment and pain in Judy’s eyes. She couldn’t stop the tears this time, although they were soundless. Throughout the rest of Judy’s account Dawn’s tears continued to flow, and they didn’t stop even when she was returned to the holding cell that evening. 

The physical evidence is what really ended up sparing the ewe a harsher sentence, much to the distaste of the Zootopian populace. Doug’s paperwork and files that he hadn’t eaten showed him mapping out variations of this plan since college. At that time his only connection with Dawn had been a brief romantic relationship. None of the records during that period hinted at the plans, only heavy anti-predator sentiments from Doug which Dawn seemed to agree with to a lesser degree. When Dawn took up the position of Assistant Mayor, Doug’s correspondences sharply increased after years of sparse contact post the end of their relationship. Dawn’s continued complaints about the treatment from her boss became a catalyst for the proposal of Doug’s plans. At first, she adamantly refused, and she ceased contact with him for an entire year after Doug’s suggestion. Then out of the blue she reconnected with him, and agreed to put the plan in motion.

While Dawn's emails and records showed her careful planning and deliberation on how to avoid any prey being hurt in the savage infections up until the last few weeks before she was apprehended. Doug's in house emails between Walter, Jesse, and several other rams involved with scheme were less concerned about safety. Several phrases continually cropped up that amounted to "the more casualties the quicker the success". Dawn’s Idea for a predator containment district which she had jokingly named “Savage City” was also among the private discussions, although Doug’s version of the idea changed the roll of the district from a home for predators to a massive extermination center.

Doug also had been discussing plans to take out some of the strongest pro-pred opposition with precision savage strikes, which again ran against Dawn’s original plans for non-violence against prey. In the final weeks, a highly sensitive email between Doug and Walter discussed taking out Gazelle. Her unflappable support of predators combined with her social status continued to set-back the operation. They intended to wait until her predator benefit concert, and dart all of her tiger dancers in one simultaneous wave in the middle of her performance. 

“If they don’t kill her, she’ll definitely change her tune. So either way it’s a win” Doug concluded. 

All this information was kept hidden from Dawn at Doug’s request, despite the unease of the other rams. When Dawn took her place as mayor, the others pressed Doug more and more about Dawn’s loyalty should she learn the full nature of the plan and fears of her going rogue. 

“Dawn’s soft, she needs to be eased into some of these larger steps. But I know how to help her see things the right way” Doug mailed to the others.

“And what if she won’t play ball? You won’t let your feelings get in the way? Will you take care of her?” A reply from Walter.

“I don’t want to hurt her, but we already have all we need. So if she jeopardizes what we’ve been working toward…I’ll do what I have to do.” Was Doug’s final reply.

Dawn and her cohorts were inevitably found guilty. But it was those very emails that landed the ewe with a fairly light ten year sentence, with an option for monitored parole in as little as four provided she underwent therapy. The other rams were saddled with thirty plus years, with no parole option.

The clang of the various cells automatically unlocking roused Bellwether from her thoughts. She quickly sat up, staring at her door. She could hear the usual morning muffled chatter barely permeating from outside. The prison was now officially awake, and she shifted her legs off the cot in response to the usual regiment. It was only when she heard the approaching foot falls did she hitch her breath. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the door. Today wasn’t the day for the usual routine; she had nearly forgotten with her little trip down memory lane. Her breathing halted completely as shadows cast over the window of her cell door. The heavy clang of the door caused the sheep to flinch, and as the door swung open she jumped to her feet.

Standing in the frame were two guards, a grizzly bear and a cheetah. “Bellwether” the grizzly bear spoke. “You are officially paroled.”


	2. Napolareon Complex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zootopian Slang
> 
> 'Mam- Short for mammal, the equivlant of 'man' in slang terms.  
> Hackles- erectile hairs along the back of a dog or other animal that rise when it is angry or alarmed. In Zootopian terms it's used to point out when a canine mammal has his guard up.  
> Dag or Dag Muncher- Dry clumps of Dung that cling to a sheep's wool. In Zootopia it's an insult among caprines, and adding muncher to it makes it worse.  
> Tup - Just another term for adult male sheep.  
> Herbs- Slang for herbivores/prey  
> Riggwelter- A sheep that has fallen onto it's back and can't get up, and insult among caprids.  
> Sole Pads- Essentially those shoe like foot bindings characters like Judy wears. (I tried to find out what they were called but couldn't find anything so I had to make it up.)  
> Teeth to Tails, or Tails to Teeth- Canine slang, light curse. More popular in rural areas.  
> Sweet Sawgrass- Expression of shock, awe. Universal slang popular among rural areas.  
> Lamb Sakes- Expression of disbelief or awe.  
> Lamb Shanks- Caprine slang, light curse.  
> Mutton Chops- Caprine slang, light curse.  
> Grazer- Slang for sheep, coats etcetera, can be used as an insult.  
> Mutt- Canid insult.  
> Greywool- Slang for old sheep.  
> Rut, or Rutting - Blunt slang for mating, the human equivalent being the f-word. Used in much the same manner, and with the same level of weight it carries.
> 
> I think that's all I've used, but I've probably missed plenty. I wasn't writing them down as I went...in retrospect i should have.

It was nearly as quick exiting the prison as it was to enter it. Within the course of an hour Dawn had signed her requisite paperwork, had her collar removed, had her last prison shower, and received her confiscated belongings much to her delight. She spent a good solid minute hugging the stack of her old clothes before putting them on, and nearly cried as she swapped her prison specs for her trusty old tortoise shell frames. As she sat in her parole officer’s office she kept compulsively touching her glasses and straightening her floral skirt, as if to re-affirm that this was all really happening. Her attention snapped to the door as a stout polar bear suddenly entered.

Officer Polaraski sat at his desk and smiled at the slightly twitchy ewe.   
“Take it you’re pretty excited huh Dawn?” He chuckled. The sheep stilled herself.

“…and nervous” She mumbled, tapping her hooves together.

“Now, now Dawn, you served your time. You were a model prisoner, you deserve your freedom.” He replied.

“I don’t think I really deserve anything, but I’m happy to be given this chance.” She looked down, swinging her feet as they dangled from the rather large chair.

The bear chuckled again, before beginning to flip through his paperwork. Bellwether smiled slightly. Officer Polaraski had always been kind to her during her stay here, unlike the rest of the staff. He was an old bear, his white fur dinged and claws darkened with age. He also bore some striking physical scars that showed that he’d seen a great deal in his time. His most notable was deep claw marks running down the side of his muzzle. Today he was dressed casually, a simple button down shirt which was being held down by over-stretched suspenders. It was significantly less imposing than his guard uniform but not by much. Yet despite his gruff exterior he had always managed to have the air of gentleness around him. If he had any ill will toward her, he certainly managed to hide it well. 

She had met him during her first week in prison. She could remember her arrival vividly, but at the time she looked as though she was brain dead. Actually arriving in jail had practically rendered her catatonic. She had known it was coming, she had done her best to mentally prepare for it, but being there was a whole different story. She had to be helped to change into her prison gear, and barely even registered when they placed the shock collar on her. 

Gods, the collars. Alpine Crag Women’s Correctional Facility was one of the few places that still used them due to the nature of the place. “The Crag” was home to Zootopia’s most dangerous criminals, prey and predator alike, and they had sent her there. No white collar prison like that smug Lionheart, no the runtish ewe was placed in the facility where more inmates are known to leave in body bags rather than filling a sentance. The collars were kept in place here as a deterrent, to keep inmates from killing each other as well as the staff. 

Granted given her size and strength she was barely capable of hurting a fly, but as long as everyone had to wear them it was a small price to pay for her guaranteed safety. Anyone planning to get a little 'street justice' on Dawn shouldn’t have been able to act without being disabled by the collar. 

“Shouldn’t have” being the key words, but unfortunately for the timid sheep that unlikely scenario played out in less than a week. Her third scheduled day of yard exercise, which was really just her standing around in a zombie like stupor by herself, was abruptly cut short by a large she wolf rushing her. As she wailed on her Dawn felt her mind slipping further away. She could see the collar on the wolf flicker, zapping pathetically to which the wolfess barely flinched in kind. It was clear she was so enraged she was well beyond registering the pain; the collar couldn’t stop the pure adrenalin. Dawn was certain she was going to die, and she made peace with it. She deserved it after all. 

It was only when the flurry of blows ceased that she came back to her senses to find officer Polaraski subduing the beastly wolf. As she began to lose consciousness, the last thing she could hear before she blacked out was Polaraski calling for the other inactive guards to get the ewe to the medical wing immediately.

The next time Dawn opened her eyes she found herself staring at fluorescent lights. She would come to find that she had been in the medical area for two weeks coalescing from her trauma in the yard. Polaraski was there shortly after she awoke, apologizing wholeheartedly for the failure of the collar deterrent, and especially the failure of the guards in the yard to act more quickly.

“They’ve been let go.” The bear stated with a serious look. “They are supposed to protect the inmates from each other and their failure to act due to personal bias-“

The lamb knew they had ignored her; the guards hated her as much as the inmates.

“-clearly shows they were not suited for the job.” The bear groaned, placing his head in his paw. “I’m sorry Ms. Bellwether, truly I am.”

That shocked her, the sincerity. She leered at the bear in partial disbelief. After a moment she managed to croak a simple word. “Why?”

The bear looked at her, now he was surprised. “Why what?”

“Why are you sorry? Why save a monster?” The lamb spat. The bear regained his somewhat stern visage.

“It’s my job ma’am. And I take my job very seriously. I protect the inmates, regardless of what they did. And I apologize when I fail to do my job. Ain’t that how it’s supposed to be?” The bear concluded. 

The ewe’s head simply slunk down as she began to fade back into that cloudy haze of disbelief, now over still being alive rather than being in prison. A part of her was disappointed. At the time she saw death as the easier prospect. The bear continued to talk, but she only heard bits and pieces. 

He explained the wolf that had attacked her was a relative of a nighthowler victim, and seeing Dawn must have enraged her to the point where the collar was rendered in-effective. The Wolf had been punished, and Polaraski immediately had Dawn transferred to solitary for her own safety. As he placed her in a wheelchair, and rolled her to her new cell he continued to explain the situation. He had filed all the requisite paperwork to have Dawn kept under his watch specifically, so that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the incident in the yard. He had even spent a great deal of time going over her case, trying to figure out exactly why these precautions had not been put in place when she was first placed in the prison. The lamb dumbly nodded, only half listening to the bear as he spoke. 

It was when he dropped her off in her cell, now seated on her cot that she finally managed to find her words again. 

“You-“She said as the bear was turning to leave. He stopped. “You’re a predator.”

“Yes ma’am, I am.” The large bear nodded.

The sheep gulped. “Aren’t you mad? Don’t you hate me?” She staggered to her feet. “Why are you treating me so…” her thoughts were muddled. “N-nicely?” 

The bear simply smiled with a genuine smile. “I told you Ms. Bellwether, it’s my job.” And with that, he turned and left her alone.

As days slowly became weeks, and weeks became months Dawn became used to regiment of life in solitary. Polaraski had stayed true to his words and kept watch over the sheep. He was always close by when Dawn had to be outside her cell for mandatory activities. He also handled her personal affairs, which included her in house legal needs as well as setting up with her court appointed therapist. He even supplied her with novels and puzzles when the boredom of solitary became too insufferable. In all that time the bear’s merciful motives continued to elude her.

But Dawn’s demeanor was sharply in the decline. As the initial shock of imprisonment faded she began to emotionally unravel. Her days became more filled with tension and stress, and she began to get frustrated at the smallest things. At night while trying to sleep she'd become overcome with anger at her circumstance and at all those who were responsible for her being there. Jessie, Walter, Lionheart, Doug, even Nick and Judy despite knowing they were right to stop her. Sure she rationalized she had done some terrible things, but she had been manipulated and surely she didn't deserve to be there.

Her therapist would later explain to her that she had been experiencing the five stages of grief. While no one in her life had passed away, she was grieving the life she could have had if she hadn't committed her crimes. 

But at the time she didn't have access to the therapy. Dr. Gnu practiced outside the prison, and only had one free day a week to devote to treating inmates. On top of that patients who weren’t established had to be placed on a waiting list, and Dawn being at the end of it meant a few more months of waiting. Months that she would have to wade through that turmoil on her own.

It was about seven months in, a month or so before her first appointment when Dawn’s emotional trauma came to a head. She could remember the night the dam broke, sitting in the small Rec Room with a few of the inmates, all supervised by Polaraski. Dawn was only half heartily paying attention to the T.V.; she was too busy stewing in her own angry thoughts. Gazelle was performing live, and as “Try Everything” bellowed from the speakers Dawn sneered. She had always hated that song; of course she hated most of Zootopia’s top one hundred. It was when the camera cut to a crowd shot that the lamb was struck dumb. There, center frame were Nick and Judy. They were dancing to the music along with various other members of the ZPD. At first Dawn gritted her teeth and growled. She could still remember what she thought as she stared.

“Look at them! Aren’t they great! Zootopia’s darlings! Having the time of their lives while I rot in here!” The thought seared in her mind. “And I-“

As the camera held on them, she saw their happy smiles, the fox and the rabbit even danced together.

“I should be-“She was beginning to shake. She could see more faces in the crowd, predators, prey, all of them united. Dancing and swaying to the music and filled with joy.

“I deserve to be here.” The dam broke, and with it came the tears and choking sobs. “What was I even thinking? It was my fault! It was all my fault!” The Ewe began to gasp as Polaraski rushed over. “It doesn’t matter what Doug did, or what Lionheart did, it’s what I did!” The bear placed a paw on her shoulder as she felt silent, her head hung in shame. “It’s what I did.” The lamb said quietly, tears still streaming. 

“Let’s get you back to your cell okay Dawn?” The bear said softly. And with that, Dawn quietly got up, and was escorted back to her cell.

With the clarity, the rebuilding could begin, and it was only hastened by actually meeting Dr. Gnu. Dr. Atticus Gnu was a worn looking old wildebeest, whose coat was starting to sprout the grey highlights of an older mammal. He was quite large, but he looked somewhat frail. His horns however were meticulously maintained, clearly a point of personal pride for the doctor. He was also always dressed in a fine tan suit, with a small pair of glasses adorning his snout.

He had been following Dawn's case since she had been apprehended, and in preparation for her sessions he had dug up everything on the lamb's history he could find. Their first session was spent covering Dawn’s outburst in the Rec Room, and the revelation on her experiencing the stages of grief. But their next session began to really delve into her history. 

Dawn had been born the only child to Aster and Clover Bellwether. The family name was a historic one, which had produced many proud rams whose hooves had helped shape Zootopia’s government since the city was founded.

“And that’s where the problems began.” She could remember saying, staring at the office ceiling from the lounge chair. Gnu lowered his glasses and glanced at the ewe. 

“Being born?” He chuckled slightly.

“Being born to the Bellwether’s” She sighed.

“Yes, I can see by the records your father was…ahem” Gnu wiped his glasses. “-quite vocal in his desire to have a son.” 

“Does it say that in the file?” Dawn looked surprised. 

The Gnu massaged his temples. “More or less. The day you were born the doctors noted a particularly loud fight between your mother and father.” He flipped a page over. “Not to mention scads of references to PTA and school event altercations.”

“Yes, and my father was just as verbally abusive at home too” The ewe shifted uncomfortably. “…and physically for that matter.”

The Gnu stroked his beard. “Dawn, whatever you aren’t comfortable discussing we don’t have to talk about today. Just let me kn-“

“No, no, I want to.” The ewe sat up, giving the doctor a determined glance. He simply nodded for the ewe to continue.

Dawn’s father was stern and strict, and on top of that he was a heavy drinker. That coupled with a timid and feeble mother was a recipe for disaster. From what she could remember, her father paid her little attention during the first years of her life. He had instead focused on trying to sire a son. After numerous failures and medical intervention it had turned out Aster was nearly infertile. Doctors had been amazed that he had been able to have Dawn in the first place. Defeated and reluctant Dawn became his focus, and he was determined to "make the best of a bad situation".

When she started elementary school she remembered her father laying out each step of her future for her. Good grades, honor student, college, and the various political echelons it would take her to reach “Mayor of Zootopia”. That was a lot to lay on a five year old, but she did her best to mind her father. She wanted more than anything to make him proud, and was happy to say so. But her father still felt the need to warn her that any deviation from the plan would lead to punishment. Such deviations included less than stellar grades, not placing her studies first, and most importantly fraternizing with ‘uncivilized mammals’. He ended that speech with a sample of what was in store for her should she fail. Her tanned hide was sore for the rest of the day.

Dawn had always been a smart child; she loved puzzles and word games, and spent a lot of her free time getting lost in books. That on top of the studying made her somewhat of a sheltered student. At the time she couldn’t remember having a single friend before college. It was only through the doctor’s prodding that Dawn was able to recover a long lost memory.

“Really Dawn, there must have been someone to be-friend you during all that time?” The old Wildebeest queried. 

“I was a nerd, and was pretty small for a ewe. I spent most of my time getting harassed by predators.” She sighed.

“Just predators?” He wiped his glasses with a napkin before returning them to his snout.

“Well…” She rolled her eyes, trying to recover her thoughts. “Prey too. Pretty much any mammal larger than I was, and there were a lot of them. Otherwise I was just avoided, nobody likes a book-“ She stopped as a memory returned to her.

“Wait! Wait! I can’t believe I forgot!” She practically stood on her chair.

“Hmm?” Gnu replied, leaning in with interest.

“There was someone! He was my friend in third grade! His name was…um…uh.” She tried to recall it desperately but after a few minutes she slumped in the lounge, crossing her arms in frustration. “I can’t remember…”

“Well what do you remember about him?” Gnu prodded.

“Puppy, I called him Puppy….but that wasn’t his name.” The ewe nodded.

“Puppy huh? So he was a predator then?” Gnu looked at his notes.

“Y-yes…yes he was. A wolf I think. Gah! What was his name?” The ewe was frustrated, rubbing her temples trying to conjure the memory.

“I’m sure it will come to you eventually.” The doctor readied his pen.

“I remember I was getting picked on about my glasses, they looked even bigger on me back then. A large Oryx boy pushed me down and took them, waiving them around, when out of nowhere this little wolf barreled into him at full speed.” She clacked her hooves together as she reminisced. 

“They got into a fight, but the wolf was probably as big as I was. If it wasn’t for his brother coming over and scaring the Oryx off he wouldn’t have stood a chance. But he still gave me back my glasses like he’d won the fight. He was so proud.” The lamb chuckled. “His brother called him Puppy, and that’s where I got it from.”

The Wildebeest simply nodded and scribbled in his notepad.

“He had a big family, like six or seven brothers. But he was a runt, just like me. And so we sort of became friends, schoolyard friends anyway.” Dawn scratched her chin as she continued to recall her friend.

“He called me Floofy.” She laughed. “Yeah, that was his answer for Puppy. He hated his brothers calling him it, but I was allowed too for some reason. But he gave me a nickname to match his.” 

Dawn’s face suddenly grew sad. “It was only for about three months before…” she paused. “Before Dad found out.” She gently touched beneath her right eye, wincing reflexively.

“Turns out Puppy was one of those ‘uncivilized mammals’ Dad talked about, a predator, and worse the natural enemy of sheep-kind. I got pulled from school immediately, and after two weeks in the hospital for…” She stifled a sob. “Falling off a jungle gym” she said with heavy sarcasm “I was transferred to an all prey private school. Never saw Puppy again.” 

A deathly silence hung over the room for a good moment before the beleaguered old Gnu broke it with a heartfelt sigh.

“I’m so sorry Dawn; I can see why you had such a hard time remembering your friend. Traumatic events have a way of creating gaps in ones memories.” The Gnu added.

“Then there’s going to be a lot of gaps to fill doctor, because I have plenty of them.” Dawn laughed halfheartedly, as her face settled into a bitter expression.

The sessions continued as her sentence meandered on. Each one usually went over some abuse Aster had laid upon her in response to accidentally deviating from his plan. Her mother’s meekness prevented her from intervening, but by Dawn’s teenage years she had become used to it. When college came along she dormed at home, allowing her father to still keep some semblance of tabs on the girl. 

Aster's grip was a tad lighter, but he had more of Dawn's life to manage. Aside from her grades, her extra-curriculars, and who she fraternized with, he also scrutinized the ewes love life. All of her boyfriends had to be approved by dear old dad, and any rams that fell short of his standards were chased off. Doug had been her father’s favorite of all the rams she brought home, and after she broke up with him her father used Doug as the benchmark to weigh all her other suitors against. She tried for a little longer after Doug, but with each new approved ram there was always something that repelled her from them in the long run, probably how each potential mate looked too much like her dad for comfort. So eventually she put her love life on hold, it was easier to just stop trying.

Post college saw her finally break away from life in the Meadowlands and move to Zootopia proper. There she began her civil service work, keeping to the ultimate goal of one day becoming Zootopia’s mayor. That’s where she met Leodore, and her first rebellious thought came into her head.

“Leodore seemed like such an honest lion. Everything he wanted for Zootopia was what I wanted too. Peace, love, acceptance, utopia, blah-blah-blah.” Dawn pantomimed blathering mouths with her hooves. “I can’t believe I fell for that. Who would believe a politician?”

“You wouldn’t be the first.” Dr. Gnu chuckled.

“So I thought I’d help him, be his running mate and get the prey in his corner. I’d get to be second in command, and down the line I might get a shot at Mayor in a different election.” A smug grin crept across her face. “And I’d get to piss dad off too.”

“He told me how important I’d be, and how much change I’d make. I wouldn’t have to work my butt off for years in civil service to get a position so lofty, and I rode the Lionheart hype train right into my own personal hell.” She scoffed, crossing her arms.

“I’d heard your testimony, your time under the Mayor sounded quite insufferable.” The doctor replied.

“It was like my Dad was my co-worker. Well, at least Lionfart wasn't drunk half the time, and he didn’t hit me. But he might as well have. If I had known I was signing up to be a glorified secretary I would have told him when and where to shove it!” She stood on the couch for a moment, before slumping down defeated.

“Did you know I came up with the ‘Mammal Inclusion Iniative?’” Dawn asked rhetorically. “Lionheart thought it was ridiculous. ‘Small mammals aren’t suited for big jobs.’ She mocked his voice. “He said that to me! To my face!” She glared as if the Lion was standing across from her.

“I remember exactly when I had it, down to the hour. It was seven o’ three in the morning. I could barely get up I was so sick.” She crossed her arms. “So I call up the office to let them know I was sick as a dog, when Lionheart gets on the line and demands I get over my ‘little cold’ and get in there post haste.” She was now clutching her arms. “I protested, but he insisted that with the Pandese ambassador visiting not showing up would be cause an 'international incident'. He demanded I get in there or I’d be demoted to assistant janitor.” She bit her lip. 

“So I’m sitting at my desk like a good little ewe, running to the bathroom every few minutes to throw up my breakfast and feeling like death when he buzzes me. Apparently I’m supposed to be present at the meeting between the two of them, despite not having any ‘speaking roles.’” She was glowering now, venom in her voice. “So I drag myself into his office to tell him I really need to go home, that I’m nearly ready to pass out. Of course, rather than be concerned Lionheart comments on how disheveled I look and tells me to clean up before the press conference.”

“Oh no…you’re talking about-” The doctor covered his mouth in horror.

Dawn continued. “I tried; I really tried to keep it together out there. But it was so hot, and the conference was going on forever.” Her ears dropped. “But, I couldn’t contain it.” She sniffled.

“So that’s why you vomited all over the ambassador.” The doctor was biting his hoof.

“And Lionheart had the gall to make it all about me, and how I shamed Zootopia. And to top it all off the video of that went viral for a solid week.” She groaned.

“Yes, I-“ Gnu cleared his throat. “- I remember several co-worker’s sending it to me at the time.” The therapist placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It was really awful.”

“What’s awful is what I did that night, when I broke down and called Doug ready to work with him.” She sighed. “…and the rest is history.”

The following silence was dull and cold. Dawn hung her head in shame.

“I wish the vomit thing was still the worst thing I was known for.” 

Her third year in prison ended with the good doctor signing her off on a clean bill of health. Dawn had worked through her problems with flying colors in his eyes, and was ready to be re-integrated into society. From the doctor to Polaraski, and from Polaraski to the parole board work began right away to release the ewe. It didn’t take long, and only three months into her forth year here she sat, waiting to see how much the outside had changed with nervous anticipation.

“You still with me there Dawn?” Polaraski interrupted her reprieve.

Dawn snapped her attention to the bear.” Oh I’m sorry, I was just…thinking.”

“Relax Dawn, you’ll do fine out there. I know you will.” The bear smiled before removing a piece of paper from a folder and handing it to her. It displayed a small one room apartment.

“Now let’s get down to brass tacks. I managed to scrounge you up an apartment in Seaside Towers; it’s close to the coast in downtown Zootopia. It ain’t much but err…” He scratched the back of his head. “I had a hard time finding it.”

“Okay.” Dawn contained a grimace, it was really small. But at the very least it looked clean. 

“I’ll be driving you down to the storage place holding your furniture, and help ya move your key belongings. I’m sorry you won’t be able to fit it all, but that storage is yours for as long as you need it.” He continued.

The ewe simply nodded, listening intently as the bear produced a particularly ratty looking phone from his desk. 

“Now, this fellas a little old, but till you can get your hands on a new one this’ll be your cell phone. Chances are the Carrot phone you got back needs a new service plan worked out, so until then you’ll have this. My numbers already in it, as well as Doctor Gnu’s.” 

“Okay.” The lamb looked down at the old brick like phone now in her hooves with uncertainty.

“You are required to have a job, but I haven’t found anything for you yet. Hopefully I’ll have something tomorrow and we’ll get it sorted out. I’m warning you now though; it’s probably not going to be high end.” The bear stood up from his chair and began straightening the papers out.

 

“You will be meeting with me once a month and I will call to check in once a week. After a year the parole board will re-asses how closely you need to be monitored, and if you are lucky we’ll never have to see each other again.” The bear smiled. “Do you understand everything I said Dawn?” He asked.

The ewe stood up and nodded, rubbing her hooves together in excitement.

“Welp, then let’s get you back to the outside world.” He stated promptly, and proceeded to make his way to the door. 

“Wait!” Dawn started. The bear turned somewhat confused.

“What is it?” He asked.

“I know you said…” She gulped. “That it was your job to help me.”

He nodded.

“But there had to be more to it than that? Why did you pity me?” She asked pleadingly.

The large bear sighed, before walking back over to the little sheep. He eased down on his haunches to look her in the eyes.

“I had a friend growing up, reminded me a lot of you. Leona Frost.” He scratched his bridge. “She was really short by polar bear standards. And so she did everything she could to prove she was just as good if not better than any other polar bear.” He sighed.

“And when the world pushed back against her, telling her that she couldn’t do it she decided to fight the world.” He looked down for a moment “Doc Gnu calls that a Napolareon complex.”

Silence hung for a moment before he continued. “Eventually when I got older I went into law, but Leona, she turned to crime. That…well, that didn’t end so well.” He sighed. “I still remember the wake. I remember just wishing I had been there more.”

Dawn was rapt in the bear’s story. Her eyes were beginning to tear.

“I see a lot of her in you. And that’s why I wanted to help you.” He stood back up, trying to mask a tear swelling to the surface in his eye.

“In helping you, I’m sorta giving that second chance to her I guess. The one she never got to have.” He turned away from the ewe and began to walk toward the door.

“Thank you…” Dawn sniffled.

“Don” The bear replied.

“Don?” Dawn asked.

“My first name, never told you. You’re not a prisoner anymore, no need for the formalities.” He held the door open. “You coming?” He asked?

The lamb quickly scurried up to the door, and as she joined the bear they proceeded to leave the office.

The duo walked down the hall, Dawn doing her best to keep even with the bear’s greater stride before coming to the main door.

“You ready?” He turned to her.

“Yes! Yes! I’m ready.” The lamb nodded vigorously.

With a nod Polaraski began to slide the door away, it clanked loudly as it rolled down the track. With the door clear, Dawn placed one hoof outside nervously, taking a deep breath before stepping all the way out. The sun was beaming brightly, enveloping her in its warmth. Dawn smiled.


	3. Better on the inside

The first thing she saw as Don pulled the van up to the complex was a particularly nervous and irritated looking weasel. He was dressed in fine clothing, but it wasn’t in great shape. The green suit had been patched several times, and seemed to be coated in dust despite clearly being worn often. His eyes were beady and blurry behind his large frames, and the little fur he had left on his head had been crudely combed over. The little brown mammal was wringing his paws as the van pulled up next to him. Polaraski rolled his window down and leaned out to greet him.

“Eddie my boy, how you doing?” The bear said with a jovial tone.

The weasel simply grit his teeth, his reply was too low to be audible.

“Parking here to unload okay? Won’t take me very long.” The bear’s tone had the undercurrent of sternness below the friendly demeanor that time.

“Oh um.” The weasel jumped slightly. “Yes, yes of course Don.” He replied, running a paw through his terrible comb over.

The bear leaned back into the van, turning off the engine and placing it in park. He then turned his glance to Dawn.

“Last stop, everyone out.” He grinned widely. 

The bear exited the vehicle with a confident stride, Dawn less so. She stumbled back a bit as she climbed out of the large vehicle. After she regained her balance, she quickly scurried over to the bear’s side. As the bear made minor small talk with his rather small friend Dawn’s eyes began to roam over her new surroundings. 

“Seaside Towers” was a misnomer of a name. It was clearly one building. The building looked relatively nice despite its location. Harbor Street, and its surrounding areas were mostly that, a harbor. Nearly all the structures were ocean adjacent warehouses, shipping ports and industrial structures. Dawn was actually surprised that there were any residential zones in the district at all, but here “Seaside Towers” stood. It was on the edge of Zootopia, with the ocean directly at its back. The scent of the nearby sea was surprisingly pleasant. Dawn chalked that up to the countless “Keep Zootopia Clean” laws and ordinances that kept the port pollution to a minimum. While it wasn’t nearly close to the quality of the home she had before the “incident” it was still a massive step up from her dank little cell. The Weasel’s voice suddenly broke her reverie.

“A-Ahem, Ms. Bellwether.” She snapped her head back to find him standing in front of her, holding a clip board and pen aimed at her. 

“O-h Oh, I’m sorry.” She quickly took the clipboard and pen from his tiny paws, as he walked around to look at the document with her.

“This is your lease. Just sign, date and initial…erm.” He flipped a few pages of the form before he pointed a claw at the correct line. “Here.”

Dawn quickly scribbled in her information, and as she finished the last swoop of her signature the weasel snatched the form back tersely. She heard him sigh slightly as he began to sign the paper as well. She was about to ask what was wrong when Don sharply nudged the weasel.

"You'll have to forgive Eddie, he's had a rough day and forgot his manners." The bear stared daggers at the little mammal, causing him to wince. "You forgot to introduce yourself."

The weasel wiped his brow before turning his attention to Dawn. He reluctantly extended a paw.

"Edward Weaslow, I'm the owner of this place. " He said flatly. He shook Dawn's hoof weakly before returning to the paperwork, muttering as he scribbled. Don let out an annoyed sigh before turning to the ewe and dangling a key from his paw. 

“Apartment 308, here’s your key.” He smiled, but it was clear he was somewhat uncomfortable. “Why don’t you grab a few light things and head on up. I’ll catch up after I finish my chat with Eddie.” 

Dawn slowly took the key and reluctantly returned to the van to grab a few bags. Something was wrong, and as she made her way back around the car with bags in tow she could see the tension written on the officer and landlords faces. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to find out what was going on. But thought it better not to press the issue, and made her way into the building.

The apartment was as small as the pictures had made it out to be. Everything was inside the one room that made up the bulk of the studio. A simple kitchen, a small living area, and a place for her bed could all be reached in less than three steps. And for a mammal as small as she was, that was something. There was a separate bathroom slash laundry room, and a very small closet. The place smelled old, and the faded and decaying jungle green print wallpaper reinforced the idea that it hadn't seen a tenant in a long time.

Getting everything into the apartment took less than an hour, and while the room itself was somewhat shabby her furniture was still quality. As she began to roll fresh sheets out onto her bed joy washed over her at the mere idea of sleeping on it instead of a poorly padded cot. In a flash she threw herself on the mattress, splaying her body as wide as she could will it. A throaty sigh erupted from her as the comfort hugged her tiny form. She laid there with her eyes closed for a solid minute, melting away in the downy ruffles before she was interrupted by the door swinging open. She sat up to see the polar bear enter, placing the last box on the floor.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself.” He grinned.

She simply beamed in response.

“Heh, welp I’m happy to let you get back to it. I gotta get back to the office.” He chuckled.

The lamb scrambled to the edge of her bed, hopping off and scrambling up to Polaraski. In a swift motion, she wrapped her arms around, well more across the front of the bear tightly. She held it briefly before releasing him, and her stance shifted to one of embarrassment. 

“S-Sorry, I’m just so h-happy.” She stuttered, twisting her foot as she spoke. She looked up at the bear with wide eyes. “T-thank you….for.” She paused for a moment, face twisted in contemplation. “For everything.” 

The bear hunched down to the lambs height once more and opened his arms, allowing her to come in for a more proper hug which she gladly accepted.

After a few moments Dawn broke away from the big bear hug, smilingly widely.

“Now I have one more thing I have to give you before I go.” The bear reached into his pocket and produced a wad of Z bucks.

“Prison resettlement act supplies two hundred bucks a week for the first three months or until your first paycheck. So here’s your stipend. This should tide you over till ya get your bank account in order and get back to work.” He held the billfold out farther, and reluctantly the lamb took it.

The bear rose to his feet. “Goodbye Dawn, we’ll talk tomorrow.” He adjusted his cap, and turned to leave. He was only a few steps out the door when he turned back to her one last time. “I know you’ll make the best of the chance. You’re a different lamb now; it’s time to show the world.” He grinned broadly before turning to leave again.

“Goodbye!” she waived, and after the bear disappeared down the hall she gingerly closed the door. In moments she had skittered back onto her bed and flopped down, taking more time to relish in its creature comforts.

After several minutes of laying face down in the mattress she forced herself to move. Doing her best impression of a sloth she dragged herself slowly across the mattress to its edge. Looking down she could see several boxes, one of which was marked “computer stuff”. She sluggishly tore it open, and after a few moments of digging she dragged her laptop to the surface. 

She plugged it in, and after taking some time to affectionately caress the lid which was still covered in cute sheep stickers, she opened it up and powered it on. It had only gotten a few seconds into its boot up process before it detoured to install updates. It had been four years after all; of course it wasn’t up to date. She flopped backwards onto her mattress letting out a soft sigh. 

She lay like that for a few minutes before she heard a light knock at the door. Hopping off the bed she walked over and carefully opened the door to find Eddie, the landlord.

“Oh h-hello.” She stuttered. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, I just wanted to make sure you were settling in okay.” He responded with a strained smile.

The lamb could sense something off, but tried to ignore it. “Y-es..I’m fine. The apartment is lovely.” She smiled.

“Yes, well I try to keep a clean house, you understand.” He shook his head.

“Well it shows.” Dawn replied, hoping the compliment would dispel the uneasy feeling.

“You know-“ The weasel brushed off his slightly tattered suit. “Weasels have it particularly hard in Zootopia. Everyone looks at them and sees them as untrustworthy, thieving vermin. We’re one of the few mammals whose name is also a term for an unsavory personality.” He placed his paws behind his back as he continued his story. “A lot of weasels fall into the crime life because of that public perception, we become what the public see us as.”

Dawn nodded uncomfortably. The air was becoming thick.

“I was no exception as a youth, but Don helped me turn my life around and be the weasel I wanted to be.” He sighed deeply as the lamb listened. “Now I’m on the straight and narrow, and I even own my own apartment complex. But despite how far I’ve come most mammals still see me as a shiftless treacherous rodent, and what you did four years ago only made it worse.”

Dawn’s stomach sank, and it was becoming harder to breath. Whatever Eddie’s next words were going to be, she knew they weren’t going pretty. 

“Don is my friend, and he called in a long owed personal favor to get you into this place. I don’t like this, I didn’t want it, but I couldn’t say no to that damn polar bear. He’s a great mammal, and I owed him big time.” The weasel’s face had soured as he spoke, as if bile were rising in his throat.

“I’ll treat you like any other tenant, anything you need fixing call me, and as long as the rents on time I won’t bother you.” He gritted his teeth.

“But if I didn’t owe Don this big favor-“He pointed a claw sharply at the ewe. “I wouldn’t even rent a bitch like you a wet cardboard box in Tundratown.” He sneered.

Dawn suppressed the urge to cry, but the sting of his words were written all over her face. As she raised a hoof to reply, the weasel turned and began to walk away.

“Good day Ms. Bellwether.” He muttered bitterly as he tromped down the hallway.

As he faded from view Dawn slowly closed the door and shuffled like a zombie back to her mattress. As she slumped back into her fresh sheets her mind reeled. She had been expecting that kind of treatment when she returned to society, just not so soon, and certainly not in her home. The dark thoughts pooling in her mind were suddenly silenced by the chime of her laptop as it finally opened to the desktop.

She was elated for the distraction, until she found herself staring at a factory restored desktop. Her ears drooped.

“Of course they wiped it. There goes all my music.” She muttered.

Then a second thought rose in her mind. “And all my puzzle games too! Argh!” She slunk her head down into the mattress and groaned in disappointment. The laptop was rifled through and purged following the investigation years ago, it was standard procedure. Dawn chastised herself for not remembering. She was lucky the ZPD had even returned it at all.

She spent a moment sulking before she was hit with a realization that filled her with hope. “B-but my furbook games! Ohh…I bet I’ve got tons of stuff waiting for me there!” She perked up, the thought of getting lost in the mindless games filled her with glee as she opened the browser.

Only seconds after logging into her old account did she realize what a mistake she made. Her friends list was completely empty, vacant of even the closest of relatives. But worse still, the page was bursting with comments. Being a public official she’d never made the page private, and boy was she regretting it now. Bitter and hateful screeds covered the screen from corner to corner. Laced with acrid and violent sentiments from the citizens whose lives she had turned upside down. And she quickly became lost in the endless tide of black thoughts.

“May Holt: I’m not mad at you for what I had to go through during the predator hate campaigns you fueled, it’s not like that was a new experience. But I’ll never forgive you for the pain you caused my pups. They came home from school in tears everyday during your scheme because of the harassment they faced from the prey students! You are a monster.”

“Eric Ossicone: U ARE THE REAL PREDATOR DAWN!”

“Darren Rhebok: I can’t believe I voted for you and Lionheart, but at least he was just a liar like any politician. You were a psycho! My best friend is a puma, and he lost an eye defending himself from one of those hate mobs you stirred up! I hope you rot in jail forever.”

“Honey Badger: I have been saying for YEARS about these sheep! They’ve been trying to control predators for centuries! And that trial was a joke, if there was any real justice she and her cronies would have been strung up in SAVANNAH CENTRAL STATION! But what do you expect with the secret sheep cabal running the world! WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!! IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY!!! If you read this Dawn, you better hope we never meet IRL!”

And most chillingly, there were just as many posts recently as there was when she was first arrested. The one dated yesterday, sitting atop the page was the one that caused her to close her laptop in sheer terror.

“Richard King: I heard they are letting you out soon. I can't believe it! What is wrong with society!?! Letting a BITCH like you walk free after what you’ve done! I PROMISE YOU I’LL FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE AND SHOW YOU WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO BE SAVAGE! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT SHEEP MEAT TASTES LIKE!!!”

She was filled with the desire to run, to just get out of the apartment. And in just a few minutes she had locked up the place and found herself on the front stoop gasping for breath. It was all too much to take in, too much too soon. She needed to walk, somewhere, anywhere. And in short order she found herself briskly walking toward the subway terminal to Savannah Central.

She sat in silence, quietly slumped down in a seat on the subway as it made its way to Savannah Central. Inside her mind however, it was a torrent of screaming voices. Each comment from the page looped endlessly filling her with a deep sense of shame and fear. She found herself grasping to think of anything else, just something to focus on so she could shut the door on the painful thoughts. 

Her prayers were answered by the soft growl of her stomach. She had been so wrapped up in everything she read that dinner had slipped her by, and she found herself ravenous with hunger. She rubbed her stomach sympathetically. In prison mealtime was set to a strict schedule, and the meal choices were limited. Now she was burdened with options, for the first time in four years she could choose anything she could think of. Luckily it didn’t take long to make a choice. Grazer’s Grill had been her favorite spot to eat in Savannah Central, and it had been far too long since she had one of their signature “Turf Burgers”. She licked her lips at the thought of the savory seasoned clover and forb patty topped with a hay process bun. It had been far too long since she had a meal of that caliber, and she practically drooled at the thought of sinking her teeth into one. 

Her daydream faded when she became acutely aware of eyes of the various mammals that were cast on her. The car had several other occupants, and it was clear by the glare of some and the look of disgust of the others that they had recognized her. Her breathing shallowed once more, and she quickly looked down at her lap. She tried again to focus on her future meal, but she could still feel the judging eyes of the passengers burning a hole through her. She brought her knees up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible in an attempt to be as invisible as possible. Still she was aware of the passengers gaze, and now she could hear low mutterings of her name between them. She clutched her chest as she felt it tighten with anxiety. How long would it be before one of them came over to chew her out or worse?

“Now arriving, Savannah Central Station!” The P.A. rang out, and as soon as the doors opened Dawn flew out in a flash. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her until before she knew it she was on the surface again. She leaned against a nearby lamppost and tried to compose herself. 

“Keep it together, keep it together.” She thought as she caught her breath. “You knew it was going to be like this at first, you have to push through it.” She scolded herself.

“Okay, I’ll just keep my head down, get my food, and go home.” She said as she glanced at her surroundings. The streets were surprisingly inactive; very few mammals were strolling about. This meant she’d have an easier time of laying low. 

She cowed her head and made herself as small as she could as she began to walk, keeping a healthy distance between her and any nearby citizens. Before long she reached the familiar restaurant. Its green neon sigh casting a glow so bright the front sidewalk was bathed in its hue. The “Grazer Grill” was neither the biggest or busiest place, but to Dawn it was unsurpassed in quality prey cuisine. Dawn stood outside its double doors, staring up at the sign. She stood nervously clacking her hooves, debating for a moment whether she should enter or not. Her stomach answered for her, and with a sigh of resignation she slinked into the establishment.

The restaurant was surprisingly quieter than usual Dawn noted, thankful for the small miracle. Even so she was still nervous, and the journey from the door to the front counter was arduous and slow. When she finally arrived she kept her head down as she called for the attention of the Antelope running the counter.

“Huh? Whozzat?” The Antelope crooked his neck only to see the top puff of Dawn’s hair.

“U-um…can I o-order…a um…” She mumbled, trying to keep her already timid voice quiet.

“Giuseppe can’t hear you lady lamb, Wha’dya want?” The Antelope asserted.

“One turf burger please, u-um to go.” She stated, reaching up and placing a twenty on the counter.

The antelope eyed her suspiciously. Taking the twenty in his hooves and inspecting it. After inspecting it for a moment he eyed the lamb again, her head still down. He scratched his chin.

“You-uh, you seem familiar lady? You been here before?” He asked.

The lamb was getting more nervous, she could feel her knees shaking. Still she tried her best hide it in her demeanor.

“N-no…no I haven’t.” She muttered. To Dawn, his stare seemed to last forever. But eventually he shrugged and began to process the order. As he punched a few buttons on the register Dawn sighed with relief, it looked like she was going to get away clean this time.

“Wait! Dawn Bellwether!?” A voice piped up, causing Dawn to freeze. A second antelope, clearly older, who had been further down the counter had spoke. He made his way over to the younger one working the register. He craned his neck down at the ewe, who was still as stone. She was caught, she knew it, and slowly she raised her head to meet his gaze.

“Um- H-hello Mr. Antelli.” Dawn mumbled. Of course the old antelope still worked there, he was the owner after all. She had just hoped he had retired, or at least wasn’t in that day. With how frequent Dawn visited the establishment as the Assistant Mayor he had come to know her quite well, and there is no way he wouldn’t recognize her.

The Antelope stood back up, a look of deep disgust on his face. He didn’t break his gaze as he spoke.

“Giuseppe, give her back her money.” He said coldly.

“Dad is that-“ 

“Give her back her money so she can be on her way.” He growled.

Dawn bit her lip, unsure of what to do as the antelope returned her twenty. She looked up at Mr. Antelli in disbelief.

“P-please, I just w-want some food. Can yo-?”

“We serve mammals here! Not a beast like you!” The Antelope raised his voice, now catching the attention of several other patrons.

“B-But!” She protested, stepping backward in fear.

“GET OUT OF MY RESTARANT YOU DEMON! GET OUT AND NEVER COME BACK! YOU GOT THAT!?!” Now he was screaming.

Not even giving the crowd of curious patrons a chance to swell around the scene the lamb fled, sobbing hysterically as she ran.

She was still crying when she made it back to her apartment, albeit reduced to slight sniffles. She locked her door and leaned against it, sliding down into a heap on the floor in front of it. It was too much for her, even if she expected it. She never knew what it was like to be so reviled.

“I can’t do this…I just can’t.” She choked, wiping the tears from her reddened eyes. She thought about vowing never to leave her apartment again, but she knew better.

Not only would she have a job soon that would require her to leave her apartment, but locking herself away in her own home would be little different from being in prison again. No, she decided she was going to get through this, and after a few more minutes of getting her tears out she clambered to her feet. Somehow she was going to eat tonight.

Using her laptop she located the nearest pizza place with prey options and called in a delivery order. As she waited she began to dig through her boxes of clothes, eventually finding her old Meadowlands University hoodie. She hugged it tightly for a moment, basking in the nostalgia from her college days before pulling it on and tightening the hood. When the knock came at the door, she quickly placed her glasses aside. After turning off the lights in the small apartment she slowly opened the door a crack.

“What do you want?” She said making her voice as deep as she could.

“Clover pizza and Zoo-cola for May Shears?” The teenage dingo asked, squinting to try to make out the form in the darkness.

She quickly shoved the money into his paw, and yanked the pizza and drink away from him.

“Keep the change.” She said, and quickly slammed the door.

Keeping her back to the door she listened carefully, waiting for the delivery boy to leave. After a moment she heard him mutter something about her being weird before hearing his padding disappear down the hall. Letting out a sigh of relief, she turned on her lights and placed her food on the counter. After taking a few minutes to change into her nightgown, she popped an old DVD in her laptop and settled in on the couch. As the intro to Giraffic Park cued up, she took a bite of clover pizza and smiled. She did it, her stupid attempt at a disguise had went off without a hitch, and at the very least something worked out for her today. It may have been a small victory, but she was more than happy to take it. She knew there would be worse days ahead, she was sure of it. But for now she was fed, relaxed, and away from Zootopia’s scornful eyes. As for tomorrow, that was another day.


	4. The Natural Order

The pit, oh gods she was in the pit again. Alone in the natural history museum, she called out for help. In response the nearby bushes trembled, causing the ewe to back away. As the faux fern parted, the hulking and twisted form of her savage self appeared. Its breath ragged and eyes hungry. Dawn stumbled and fell as her back met the enclosures edge. It snarled at the diminutive ewe, slowly creeping its way up to her.

“You aren’t real! T-This isn’t real.” Dawn found the courage to shout. The beast froze as she spoke, staring at her with vacant eyes.

Dawn stood up, finding her footing. She was feeling bolder now as she stared at the apparent phantom.

“This is just a dream. You can’t really hurt me!” She shouted at the slavering beast.

It silently regarded her for a moment, its nostrils flaring as each harsh breath escaped it. Suddenly its malformed mouth curled into a terrifying grin as a voice filled Dawn’s head.

“Why would I hurt you? I am you Dawn, the real you.” The voice spoke, causing Dawn to clutch head. Her legs began to tremble but she managed to stand her ground. It sounded like her, but guttural and raspy.

“Doctor Gnu told me what you are!” She shouted back. “You are just t-the manifestations of m-my inner guilt.” Her voice began to tremble. “H-he said when I can forgive myself…Y-y.” She stuttered as the beast began to move again.

“-I’d disappear?” It snorted steam and continued to move closer to her. “How can you forgive yourself? After everything you did. Surely if it had been so easy I would be gone by now?”

As Dawn’s legs gave out she found herself slumped against the enclosure wall. “W-w-well.” She sputtered.

“Maybe there’s nothing to forgive. Maybe you were right Dawn. Maybe you need to embrace me, to finish what you started.” Its face now inched closer to her.

Dawn stood up quickly, anger in her eyes. “NO! It wasn’t just me! It isn’t what I want! I’m not a monster!” Before she knew what she was doing, she futilely attempted to shove the beast.

Anger flared in its eyes as it slammed her back into the wall. Despite knowing it was a dream, the pain felt very real to her as she cradled her side. 

“Nobody forced your hooves Dawn, the truth is that you wanted to do it. You wanted to be strong, make those predators feel weak like you did. Enjoy watching them squirm.” It sneered at the wounded ewe. “Face it Dawn, it’s in the Bellwether blood. Your grandparents fought for mandatory collaring, your parents fought for a predator registry. This is who you are! ACCEPT IT!” It snarled.

“NEVER!” She cried again, causing the creature to let out a roar.

It dove at the lamb, and Dawn closed her eyes waiting for its jaws to clamp down on her. Yet it never came, and after a few moments she looked at the beast again. It had frozen in mid strike, its jaw slack and eyes burning. Suddenly from deep within its throat bellowed an obnoxious and chirpy ring tone.

Dawn woke up on the couch with her laptop still on her lap. The movie had long since ended, and she couldn’t recall exactly when she had nodded off. Her nightgown was soaked with sweat, and her breath was ragged. The cell phone rung again, breaking her away from her recent nightmare. She fumbled for her glasses, and after securing them to her muzzle she pushed herself off the couch and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

“H-hello! Who is it?” She said as she quickly clasped the phone to her ear, worried that she would fail to catch the caller.

“Dawn, it’s Don! How ya holding up?”

She let out a sigh of relief at the sound of the bear’s voice. “H-honestly…I’ve had better nights.” She muttered.

“Ah I’m sorry to hear that, but I have some news that may cheer you up.” The bear was chipper in tone.

“O-oh?” Dawn asked in surprise.

“I got you a job!” She could practically picture the bear grinning as he said this.

Dawns face was glowing; she didn’t expect to get something so soon, maybe even at all. “Oh my goodness! I-I can’t believe it? How?”

“Well I came in contact with someone in the resettlement program who needs a good employee. He knows who you are and he’s ready to hire you on the spot.” 

A look of confusion washed over her face. “Wait…he knows who I am…and he wants me to work for him?”

“Yes…ahem” The bear coughed uncomfortably. “He is very desperate to fill the position.” 

Dawn was silent; she could hear the bear’s discomfort on the other side of the phone. There was an awkward silence, and Dawn went to speak only to be cut off.

“Dawn, I’ll be straight with you. It’s that fast food place. Bug-Burga.” The bear sighed.

Dawn was silent, she couldn’t think of how to respond.

“It’s a night shift position. The guy can’t keep more than one night shift employee for more than a month at a time. He told me the past employees found it far too boring to keep it up.” 

Dawn was torn; she knew her job options were limited considering the circumstance. But if you weren’t a teen mammal, working at the Bug-Burga was seen as somewhat pathetic. It was probably the lowest job she could get next to waste disposal, and at least that was during the day. Sheep weren’t nocturnal by nature, and so the hours added another level of difficulty. ‘Beggars’ can’t be choosers’ Dawn thought to herself. Don must have sensed her reluctance as he suddenly spoke up again.

“You will have a co-worker though, so you won’t be alone. Mr. Hornsley assured me he’s quite friendly.” 

“I’ll do it.” Dawn said coolly. She could hear the bear sigh with relief.

“Great! Great…I’ll be honest Dawn, I was sure you’d say no. But this position just fell in my lap and I never thought I’d be able to find you something so easily again. I know it’s not the best, but it’s quiet and you most likely won’t get hassled while working there-“

“It’s okay Don, you don’t have to explain. Thank you.” She cut him off.

“No, thank you. I appreciate you making this easy for me.” Dawn smiled hearing the relief in his voice. “He wants you there at nine forty tonight; he’ll set you up with the uniform and discuss the ins and outs of the job.”

“I’ll be there, thanks Don.”

“Have a good day Dawn.”

“You too.” And with that she hung up the phone and sighed.

“Bug-Burga.” She fell back on her bed. “All-right, I can do this.”

That night Dawn entered the quiet restaurant nervously. It hadn’t been a long trip from her house, but being outside still put her on edge. While she already had the job, she wanted to be dressed at least somewhat nice for her first meeting with her new boss. But her fear of being seen and harassed on the trip out led to her throwing her hoodie on top of it and doing her best to cover up. As she entered she removed the hoodie, tied it around her waist and straightened her skirt. 

The restaurant was the standard fair for a Bug-Burga, orange and red color scheme, cut stump slab tables, and faux ferns everywhere. Dawn turned her attention to the counter to find a particularly bored looked vixen leaning on it. Her eyelids hung at half mast as her blue eyes stared dully into space. The deep russet fur of her natural coat barely clashed with the orange and red of the official Bug-Burga uniform, and Dawn could see her white tipped tail swishing idly behind her. As she leaned on the counter with her blackened paw against her cheek a large pink bubble slowly bulged from her muzzle. Seconds later it burst, and the vixen sucked the remnants back in without so much as a flinch. Cautiously Dawn moved to the counter and tried to get the girls attention.

“Um…excuse me?” She muttered.

“Hmm? Oh heya! You’re here to see Gus right?” The vixen asked looking down at the ewe as she loudly chewed her gum.

“Is that Mr. Hornsley?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah, yeah, he’s in back. I’ll get him.” She responded.

Dawn expected her to walk into the back room, but instead the vixen turned and shouted.

“HEY GUS! THE PSYCHO IS HERE!” She yelled bluntly.

Dawn’s sudden start turned immediately to shame; at that moment she wished she was invisible. The vixen meanwhile had turned back and gave her a smug grin.

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT BEING RUDE TO PATRONS AND CO-WORKERS VAL?” Dawn heard the reply, as a lanky goat appeared in the backroom door looking mildly irritated.

The foxes ears dipped, but she kept her grin. “Hey relax, I’m just ribbin’ her. I’m sure she get’s it all the time.” She leaned closer to Dawn, throwing her a playful wink. The goat meanwhile had made his way out into the kitchen, and was now working his way around the counter.

The manager was a rather gangly billy goat. He too wore a similar uniform, but on the lapel in bore the word ‘manager’ in golden letters. His yellow eyes were tired, and beneath them his face sported a few stray pock marks of lingering adolescence. Like most billy goats he sported a beard, which was long and well maintained. But his most notable feature was his horns, which were seemingly miss-matched. His right horn was large and curved, as you would expect with most adult male goats. But his left was stunted and broken, and had bandaging covering the broken tip. As he rounded the counter he extended a hoof to Dawn.

“Hello Dawn, glad you came. Sorry about Val, she’s like that with everyone.” He said coldly.

The vixen simply rolled her eyes.

“Don’t worry; you won’t be working with her I can assure you.” He smiled as Dawn took his hoof and shook it.

“Hey, now that she’s here I’m gonna clock out a’ight?” The vixen chewed.

The goat gave her a stern look. “You’ll wait till Vernon gets here at least Val.”

With a “Tch.” The vixen turned back toward the kitchen and began to take an order on her headset. The goat then turned back to Dawn.

“Please, please, let’s sit down. We’ll get you settled in as quickly as possible.” He motioned to the nearby table.

As the goat sat, Dawn carefully made her way over to the table. She couldn’t help but stare at Gus’ broken horn. As she sat he seemed to finally notice the stare.

“Oh this, it doesn’t hurt.” He said rubbing the covering. “The bandage is just to keep insects from making a home in there.” He smiled. 

Dawn looked down at her hooves. She really wasn’t sure where to begin. The goat seemingly picked up on this, and started talking for her.

“I know you’re nervous Dawn, don’t worry. You’ll find the Bug-Burga family is very friendly and welcoming.” He kept up his smile, but Dawn couldn’t seem to respond. The goats smile faltered and he sighed.

“I know what you are thinking, ‘Why’ right?” Dawn looked at him in shock; he had taken the words right out of her mouth.

“Look, what you did was horrible. But you are trying to move on right? And I need someone who will fill this position without leaving in less than two months. So I’m willing to ignore what you did if you are willing to take this job.” The goat brought his hooves together.

Dawn nodded briskly, anyone willing to move on from what she had done was the kind of mammal she was willing to work for.

“Good so, I have a spare fox sized uniform that should suit you in the back. I’m sorry but you’ll have to make due until I can order you a proper size. I’m starting you ten bucks an hour, four days a week, ten P.M. to six A.M. You’ll be taking orders, serving food, cleaning, yadda, yadda, yadda.” The goat prattled off, waiving his hoof as he spoke. Dawn simply nodded with each bit of info.

“So, with that, do you have any questions for me?” He leaned in expectantly, clasping his hooves together tightly.

“Um…well, how do I do all that? F-forgive me, I’ve never done this before.” Dawn shakily asked.

“Oh.” Gus laughed. “Sorry, sorry. I’ve been through this so much I’m used to breezing through it.” Gus cleared his throat. “The night shift is rather slow, so you’ll be training as you go along with the help of Vernon.”

As the goat finished his statement, the door to the restaurant opened and Gus’ attention turned to it.

“Ah speak of the mammal! Vern come here please.” He waived.

Dawn turned to look and was mortified. Entering the restaurant was one of the largest wolves she’d ever seen. She could tell even from where she was seated he was almost double her size. His coat was a silvery grey, with white adorning his muzzle and face. As his eyes fell on the goat he smiled broadly. She swallowed hard as he approached and leaned on the table between the two. 

“What’s up little big horn?” The wolf ruffled the goats head fur while smiling at him.

“Vern, please keep it professional in front of the new hire.” Gus groaned as he gestured to Dawn.

 

The wolf turned his green eyes on the small ewe and she could feel her heart beat grow faster. If there were any mammal that had more of a right to hate her than normal, it would be her natural enemy. Yet despite this his demeanor seemed cool. He reached a grey furred paw out to her.

“Pleased to meet you Ms. Bellwether, I’m Vernon Hunter.” He grinned revealing his fangs.

Dawn nervously took his paw, and couldn’t help but tremble. The wolf’s smile dropped.

“Sorry, I must be kind of scary looking. I can assure you I’m far from it.” He shook her hoof gently.

“Yeah, Vernon is probably the softest wolf I’ve ever met; he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.” Gus weakly punched Vernon’s arm.

Vernon turned back to Gus. “Now what happened to keeping it professional Gus?”

The wolf released his paw and ran it through the grey fur on his head as Dawn continued to stare. Gus simply chortled.

“Alright, I’m gonna let Val off her leash, that is if she hasn’t booked it by now. Then I’ll get my uniform on and be back in two shakes of a-” The wolf stopped himself as he realized the potential offense the turn of phrase could carry.

“Erm…I’ll be back quick.” He coughed awkwardly. 

Then he smiled again, this time doing his best to hide his teeth. “Looking forward to working with you Ms. Bellwether, see ya in a bit.” And with that, the wolf made his way behind the counter and out of sight.

Dawn’s eyes had still been locked on the disappearing wolf when Gus coughed sharply grabbing her attention.

“I can see you’re still scared.” The goat sighed. “That natural fear runs deep. But I can assure you. I’ve known Vern since high school and he’s the nicest mammal I’ve ever met. He used to look out for all the odd and weak mammals like me and stand up for us.” The Goat smiled. “We used to call him the sheepdog.” 

Dawn felt a small amused smile creep to her lips. “The Sheepdog?”

“Yeah, he was like our flock leader, king of the losers. But you’d never find more loyal and kind friend.” He laughed, and Dawn chuckled lightly in response.

If Gus spoke so highly of him, than maybe she could relax a little. After all she knew that predators weren’t bad like she had once thought. They, like her, were just mammals trying to survive. Her sessions with the good doctor more than revealed that to her. Then again, she was still the infamous Dawn Bellwether, and how could Gus know how Vernon would react to working with the Zootopia's greatest threat to predator-kind.

“Oh and free food.” Gus interrupted, bringing Dawn back.

“I mean, our menu is largely predator. But we do decent prey options. We’ve been really expanding our menu.” He gestured at one of the various signs advertising the 'new meadow menu'.

Considering how much of a hassle getting food was the other day, Dawn could only see this as a boon.

“I’m out, seeya herbs.” A blur of red fur sped past the two and out the door. From what Dawn could tell, it was Val. Gus simply sighed, before giving Dawn a knowing glance.

“Teenagers, am I right?” Gus chuckled.

“Herbs?” Dawn asked quizzically.

“Herbivores, slang you know?” Gus said with sarcasm.

Dawn nodded knowingly and the two shared a brief laugh before Vernon re-entered now fully clad in his uniform. The wolf walked up to the pair pushing a cleaning cart in front of him.

“So, want me to hold off on locking up or…” He lingered as he asked the goat. Gus stood up quickly.

“Oh, no, no Vern, by all means.” Gus said, brushing off his shirt. Gus reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys, then turned back to the ewe.

“Well, with all that settled it’s about time I get going. I’m sure you will do swimmingly with your first shift Dawn.”

Dawn’s eyes widened, she couldn’t suppress the sudden jolt of fear. Gus was about to leave her here, leave her with the wolf. Her mouth opened but the words failed to escape. Gus hadn’t noticed the ewes face as he had already turned back to the wolf.

“I leave the new trainee in your capable paws my friend.” The goat said, patting the wolf’s shoulder. The wolf flashed his teeth as he leaned on the edge of the cart. 

As Gus made his way to the main door the ewe began to stutter.

“B-b-b-ut, but-“ It was low and inaudible, and the fear on her face only grew as she saw him reach the door. 

Without turning the goat spoke one more time. “Don’t forget to change into your uniform, it’s in the back! Have a great night you guys!” And with that he disappeared into the night.

For a few moments she just stared at the now vacant doorway in disbelief. Only when Vernon coughed did Dawn even register that time hadn't frozen. Dawn slowly and uncomfortably turned back to face the wolf again. He simply continued to lean on the cart, but concern now framed his face.

“You alright Ms. Bellwether?” He asked. “You look kinda peaked.” 

Dawn slowly shook her head, still somewhat scared of being alone with the hulking hound. It was easy to read, and it was obviously starting to make the wolf uncomfortable.

“Well…uh- I guess you should change then. I uh…” He scratched the back of his head. “I’m gonna-uh…” He looked around awkwardly. “Lock up I guess.” He looked over to the door, then back to Dawn before raising a paw to point at it. “O-over there.”

And with that the wolf slinked away from her, leaving her slightly relieved but also ashamed of her behavior. After taking a moment to compose herself she shoved herself away from the counter and trudged off for the back office.

When she returned, now clad in an oversized uniform and dorky hat, she found the wolf mopping the floor. He stopped as he felt her approach, causing her to freeze.

“First thing we do is-uh.” He was quiet for a moment. “Clean the place.” He didn’t turn around as he continued. “You can grab some spray and a rag from the cart and do the tables and chairs. It’s uh….real simple.” Vernon’s change in demeanor was a clear indicator to Dawn that he was very aware that she was still scared of him.

And so the training went with little speaking outside of Vernon’s basic instructions. After cleaning, he went over the basics of how to cook the various meals, taking drive through orders, and working the register. The whole affair felt very awkward and confusing to Dawn. Vernon was hard to read, and the ewe didn’t know what to expect. Any minute he could lash out at her, then again maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he was as soft as Hornsley described, and her palpable fear hurt him. Either way, what little conversation they had remained stilted as the hour went on.

“And I think that’s…about it.” Vernon said, canceling the practice order from the register. “You know everything I can teach about this job. So um-“ He scratched his chin. “yeah.” 

The two stood next to each other in silence briefly.

“W-“ Dawn muttered. “What happens now?”

The wolf sighed, and in a swift motion that startled the lamb he sat himself on the front counter. He looked at Dawn with a dull expression.

“A whole lotta nothing, that’s what.” He sighed, removing his carrot phone from his pocket. As he began to play with his apps the ewe found herself confused.

“I-I don’t understand.” She scratched her head.

“You notice during that whole time we were practicing we didn’t have a single customer?” The wolf was still buried in his phone.

“Yeah?” She nodded.

The wolf turned to look at her. “Welp…at most we get about nine customers a shift…maybe twenty on a Saturday, and that's if were really busy.” He shrugged.

Dawn was struck dumb, that seemed crazy.

“Are you serious?” 

“Ms. Bellwether, why do you think everyone quits? The night shift is practically dead. I have no idea why corporate insists on keeping this place open at night. But it’s easy money, and the quiet is nice.” He turned back to his phone, sighing as he tapped the screen a few times.

“So there’s absolutely nothing to do?” Dawn bemoaned as she walked over to a lower portion of the counter and sat.

“You got a carrot phone?” The wolf halfheartedly joked.

Dawn removed her old brick phone from her pocket and frowned, the thing was far too old to have any form of entertainment. With a heavy sigh she placed it down on the counter next to her, and leaned into her hooves. Now plagued with thoughts of how painfully long the night was going to be.

“Whoa, now that’s an old phone.” Dawn looked up to see the wolf had walked over to her. The wolf picked the thing up and regarded it. “I haven’t seen one of these since I was in middle school. Tails to teeth, I didn't even think they still made 'em."

The embarrassment of owning such a relic cause Dawn to slink into her shoulders. She stared at the floor in shame until the face of a carrot phone blocked her vision. She looked up to see the wolf was holding his phone out to her.

“W-what? “ She asked.

“Here, you can keep yourself busy with mine. You’ll need it more than me." He replied. "I'll find some other way to keep busy."

She looked at him in surprise.

“O-oh no, I couldn’t possibly.” She shook her head vigorously and tried to push the phone away.

“C'mon, take it. I got plenty of games. Platformers, rpgs, puzzles, more than enough to keep busy on a night like this." He pushed it back until he felt the lamb relent.

Dawn looked up at him with wide eyes, her interest peaked. “P-puzzle games?” She asked.

“Tons of em’.” He smiled.

Dawn meekly smiled back at the wolf as she began to slowly scroll through the games. It was true, the wolf had a massive collection. Classics, modern, crosswords, Sudoku, she could keep herself busy for hours with these. She looked up at Vernon again, a friendly smile still spread across his muzzle.

“Are you sure your okay with it?” She asked timidly.

Vernon closed his eyes and waived his arms dismissively. “Go ahead, till you get your own; my phone is your phone.”

Dawn looked back down at the phone and booted up the crossword. After a moment of filling in a few words she looked back up to see the wolf had moved to straighten various storage shelves. For a moment he caught her glance and smiled again. In that moment she felt her fear dissolve. Gus was right, Vernon was really as soft as he said.

“Dawn” She chirped up.

“Hmm?” The wolf turned back at her statement.

“Please, call me Dawn.” She smiled softly at him.

 

The wolf flashed his teeth in response, before turning back to the shelving. He continued to straighten the various containers until Dawn spoke again.

“You know…” He turned to meet the ewes gaze. “Maybe we could solve the puzzles together?” She asked, slightly pleading. “I-it would probably be more fun.”

The wolf shook his head and laughed. “I think most of those are single player. Doesn’t that spoil the challenge?”

“It’s just a game, we can play however we want." She patted her hoof on the counter next to her. "Please join me Vernon.” The ewe gave the best sympathetic eyes she could muster.

“Argh, my one weakness.” He clutched his chest in faux distress, acting the ham. "Did Gus tell you to use the eyes, that traitor? All right, all right, I'll join you." He smirked as the ewe giggled at the theatrics.

Dawn laughed as the wolf sat down next to her and peered over her head to watch her play, trying his best not to lean on the poof of wool on her head. Dawn tensed up slightly for a moment, a natural consequence of having the wolf so close. But she relaxed rather quickly.

“Thank you” She said with a soft smile.

“No thank you, to be honest I was gonna go crazy without that thing. “

Dawn laughed so hard she let out a snort, and soon Vernon joined in, the two laughing like old friends.


	5. My enemy is my friend

In the five days since Dawn was released, once again free to walk the streets of Zootopia, she had tried her hardest to get her life back on track. While her job at Bug-Burga was a disappointment from a societal standpoint she found herself actually feeling relaxed working there. This was helped along by how welcoming her co-worker was. Despite his intimidating appearance, Vernon had turned out to be surprisingly friendly. With each shift they worked together she found herself more at ease around him. Most of their conversations had been centered around their shared love of various puzzle games, the rest fell under the usual gamut of light conversation. But Dawn couldn’t help but be bothered by the fact that Vernon had yet to mention his feelings on her criminal past. The topic sat in a tight knot in her stomach. Everyone she had met so far had at least acknowledged what she had done, for better or for worse. But not knowing her co-workers stance kept her on her guard. 

She also had the benefit of not having to hand food to the customers. Vernon had volunteered to handle it, and Dawn was just fine with that. With no face to face interaction with the customers, Dawn wouldn’t be faced with any angry tirades or altercations from mammals that recognized her. Very quickly, her place at Bug-Burga became a reprieve from Zootopia at large.

It was the days off and the down time that Dawn struggled under the worst of it. The morning after her first shift she made an attempt to re-activate her bank account but was summarily thrown out without a chance to protest. And over the days that followed she would find similar outcomes played out at each place she went. Whether it was the carrot phone store, the post office, even the local grocery store she was met with nothing but dismissal. Some mammals would calmly ask her to leave, while others launched into tirades and clamored for the ZPD. Dawn had made an effort to contact Polaraski for help, but it would take a week or so for him to be able to escort her to these locations and read them the riot act. For food Dawn had been relying almost solely on the same pizza place she had ordered from on her first night, as well as her dinner breaks at Bug-Burga. But pizza was quickly becoming repulsive to her, and she was starting to get desperate.

It was these circumstances that found her shoving various Bug-Burga meadow menu items into a large bag as her shift was coming to a close, more than enough to get her through the day. She stopped when she heard a soft “Ahem.” From behind her, and turned to find a concerned Vernon standing over her.

“Uh, Dawn?” He scratched his head. “I know we get unlimited free food, but er…I wouldn’t exactly grocery shop here. These aren’t exactly top of the food chain ingredients.”

Dawn looked nervous; she wasn’t sure how to respond to the wolf. She didn’t exactly want to admit why she was taking this much food.

“That stuff doesn’t re-heat well either, like at all.” The wolf continued. “I've tried it, it generally tastes like hot cardboard."

After turning over the various poorly thought out lies she could spin she sighed in defeat. She thought she might as well go for broke and be honest, no reason to make a bigger mess to clean up later.

“I’ve been living on pizza for four days, I need something different but no one else delivers to my complex.” She groaned.

The wolf leaned against the counter. “You know, they have these places called ‘grocery stores’? Surely you’ve heard of them.” He threw her a smug grin.

The ewe placed the bag down and let out a deep sigh before staring the wolf in the eyes. Her voice trembled a bit as she spoke.

“T-They” She steeled herself. “They won’t allow me in any of the because of who I am.”

The wolf looked at her, first puzzled, then seemingly incised. He walked over to the bag and grabbed it. In a swift motion he tossed it in the nearby trash container. Dawn was shocked.

“What the hell Vernon!?” She sputtered before clasping her muzzle with her hooves.

The wolf crouched down to the lamb’s level, his face one of sympathy.

“You ain’t gonna need that. We are going grocery shopping. Got that?” The wolf looked at her, determination in his eyes.

“I don’t th-“ 

“As soon as our shift’s over, were going. I won’t hear of it otherwise.” The wolf cut her off as he rose to his feet. 

Despite the lamb’s feeble protest, the wolf was adamant and unrelenting. And when six a.m. rolled around and the morning staff filtered in, Dawn barely had time to change back into her day clothes before the wolf grabbed her by the hoof and pulled her along with him.

Dawn didn’t fight, not that she could have anyway. The wolf was far stronger than she was. But she found herself more than curious at exactly what the wolf planned to do that could even help the situation. As he pushed the door open, Dawn shielded her eyes from the morning sun with her free arm. The freshly risen spring sun hung in the east, gleaming brightly as it shown through a slit between two skyscrapers, basking the city in its warm glow. Once outside the wolf released her hoof, and gestured for her to continue following him. Dawn dutifully followed, doing her best to keep up with Vernon’s larger strides as they entered the back lot. 

The wolf abruptly stopped as they reached a space. “And here we are.”

Dawn couldn’t see around the wolf until he sat down on a rather unimpressive moped. Its was clearly very old, its green and black paint scraped in several spots exposing the metal underneath. The seat had a few small tears that marred its surface, and it had quite a number of dents in the rear. As Vernon placed a helmet on, Dawn couldn’t help but at smirk at the spectacle of the large wolf riding such an undersized vehicle. As she suppressed a laugh, Vernon turned to her and patted the space on the seat behind him,

“Sit on down.” He flashed his teeth.

Dawn gave him a bemused look. “You can’t be serious.”

“What? Just hold on and you’ll be fine.” The wolf beckoned.

She crossed her arms and shook her head. “What if I fall off that thing?”

The wolf gave her a dull look. “Dawn, this is a Vixspa. Its max speed is nineteen miles an hour. Most you’d get is a scrape. Ain’t like that death trap of a motorcycle Val rides. Now get on.”

Dawn reluctantly walked over, and slowly eased on to the back of the seat. Timidly she wrapped her arms around the wolf’s torso, and when Vernon seemed satisfied that she had a good enough grip he turned the Vixspa on and made his way out of the parking lot. Dawn’s mind began to wander a bit as she found her muzzle pressed against his back. Vernon had an earthy smell, like the ground after a rain storm. As his warmth permeated through the coat, a comfortable sigh involuntarily slipped out. It was only when Vernon pulled up to the exit and interrupted her reverie did she realize the odd place her mind had drifted to.

“Where’s this grocery store anyway?” Vernon asked.

Dawn snapped to attention, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. 

“O-Oh!” She stuttered, her muzzle tinged red. “Um, the Green Meadow Market, it’s about three blocks from here, on Walnut Street.”

“Ah yeah, think I’ve seen that place. Hold tight.” And with that Vernon pulled onto the highway.

Dawn watched as the various buildings slowly crept by. “Vernon wasn’t kidding” She thought. “A sloth could probably outpace this thing.” As the Vixspa putted its way down the relatively inactive street Dawn broke the relative silence.

“So, is this moped like a trainer vehicle? A gift from your family until you could get a better one yourself?" Dawn asked innocuously. 

The wolf turned and gave her sheepish grin. “Trainer vehicle? Just how old do you think I am Dawn?”

Dawn was immediately embarrassed, she stuttered in an attempt to respond.

“Thirty Dawn, Thirty years old. And I don't need much more than this, it does the job. Certainly better than wading through subway stampedes." The wolf turned back to the road.

“That’s nearly as old as I am…I mean-.” She sputtered. “I’m thirty one. I shouldn’t have assumed, its just-.”

“-Because I’m working at Bug-Burga instead of something more prestigious I'm a teenager?" The wolf asked.

The ewe nodded into his coat, and the wolf sighed.

“I’m studying at Zootopia University, this is just to help cover my tuition. Not like I’m planning to make this my life like Gus.” He said with a laugh.

“Oh, are you studying to get into the ZPD?” She suddenly felt the wolf’s body stiffen. The discomfort was palpable and Dawn became equally unnerved.

After an awkward silence Vernon finally spoke. “Architecture.” He said flatly.

“Sorry!” Dawn immediately spat, regretting her words. Vernon’s body softened and he turned to look at her again.

“S’right Dawn, no harm.” He slowed to a stop as he came to a red light. After a few moments of lingering silence Vernon spoke up again.

"It's kinda expected when you see a wolf that they are involved in some sort of rough and tumble job. Police, Fire Fighting, Bouncing, The Military, that's the roles society sees us in. I can't fault them really, those jobs make the best use of our species natural skills." He lamented.

Dawn listened intensely as the wolf continued. The light changed, and he turned down the next street.

“My family is pretty much all law dogs too. 'But the heart wants what it wants' as my Mom would say. So I turned away from all that to pursue my crazy dream. I'm dead set on becoming the best architect in Zootopian history.” He laughed.

Dawn felt guilty; it seemed like every topic she tried talk about ended in accidental put-downs at Vernon’s expense. Though he seemed to take it in stride, Dawn wanted to make him feel better.

“When I was younger, most mammals expected me to be a librarian or some quiet desk job. I guess they weren't that far off. " She chuckled to herself. "But I’m sure you’d make a great architect.” Dawn said softly.

She suddenly felt Vernon’s tail softly brushing back and forth against her chest. He quickly turned, seemingly embarrassed.

“S-sorry, it’s um-“He met Dawn’s gaze for a moment only to quickly turn away. “It’s involuntary.” He shook his head before turning back to the road. Dawn couldn’t help but giggle.

A few moments later they pulled up in front of the grocer and came to a stop. Vernon turned off the moped and hopped off on to the side walk, before ushering the reluctant lamb off the moped after him. She softly dropped off the seat. Standing on shaky hooves, she looked up at Vernon with questioning eyes. Vernon simply met her gaze and waived his arm forward.

“You gotta lead the way Dawn. You know what the Manager looks like.” He said.

“B-But I…oh..oh mutton chops.” She muttered.

The wolf crouched down and put a paw on her shoulder, meeting her gaze. “Relax Dawn, I’ve got your back okay?”

Dawn looked back with her worry stricken face, but reluctantly nodded. The wolf softly pushed her forward, and as she began to move on her own he stood up and began to walk behind her. 

She entered the store in a reluctant trudge trying her best to keep her head down, only looking up occasionally to try to spot the ram in charge. After a few quick glances she sighted the particularly older ram who ran the place, his back turned to the duo.

"T-that's him." She mumbled nearly soundless.

Vernon crouched down to her again. "Go on, get his attention." He whispered to her.

Dawn hesitated with each approaching step, and when she was finally no more than two steps away from him she turned to look at Vernon, crippling worry etched on her face. The wolf simply gestured to her to get the rams attention. Dawn slumping her shoulders, letting out a heavy sigh before loudly clearing her throat.

The weary old ram slowly turned in response, and when his eyes fell on the ewe his face screwed up in disgust.

"Oh it's you." He growled. "I thought I told you to get lost. We reserve the right to refuse service to garbage like you." 

His sneer slowly dropped as he noticed the lamb was draped in a strange shadow, and as his eyes made their way up to the source a look of mild fear came over the old manager.

"'I'd watch your choice of words sir." The wolf glared at the ram, his arms crossed.

He was visibly shaken, but his resolve held. Returning his glance to Dawn he attempted to keep a brave front. "You think you can scare me? I may be old, but I can take that big mutt on if I have to." He sneered. "I should have expected you to resort to hired thugs, but where did you find a predator willing to work for you?"

"I'm a friend." Vernon stated flatly, his ears back. Dawn looked back at Vernon surprised, his words causing her to blush.

"Friends with her? A predator? Mam I knew wolves were dumb, but you've got to be the dumbest wolf I've ever met. You know who she is right?" The old sheep's focus was on Vernon now.

Vernon seemed to ignore the question. "All she wants to do is pay you for food, how is that a problem for you?"

"And be known as the grocery store approved by 'criminal masterminds'? Yeah, I'm done discussing this. Now get out of my store before I call ZPD and tell them a wolf is harassing my establishment!" The ram put all of his anger into that statement, looming himself over Dawn while staring daggers at the wolf.

The wolf sighed, and looked down at Dawn who was now cowering under the ram. In an instant the wolf lunged forward, now hovering over the manager. The old manager seemed to pale under the wolf's gaze. Vernon pulled out his wallet and opened it revealing several photos of wolves in police clothing, as well as a citizen badge granted to the family of police officers.

"I have a lot of relatives in the ZPD." The wolf bared his teeth. "And I'd bet they'd be none too happy to hear about the discrimination going on here, let alone your comments on the intelligence of wolves in general."

The old manager began to shrink, uncovering Dawn from his shadow. Vernon's voice was even and low, but stern.

"They might even miss a few call-in emergencies at this address if anything went wrong here. And we wouldn't want that to happen now would we?"

The sheep was now taken aback, he did his best to stand his ground but he could barely suppress his intermittent trembling."

"Y-You. YOU!" He sputtered! "That's EXTORTION!" He growled.

The wolf placed his paws on Dawn's shoulders as he continued to lean over the ram. His grin grew wide and fierce as the old manager crumpled further.

"I fail to see how that's extortion. After all, all you have to do is let Dawn shop here, and she'll pay for her food. What the ZPD does " Vernon coughed "-or doesn't do has nothing to do with me."

The ram was defeated, he nearly tripped over himself as he staggered away from the two.

"F-fine....okay FINE!" He choked out. "She can shop here from now on...I-I'll" He slumped in defeat. "I'll let the other employees know she's permitted. J-j" He bit his hooves, trembling nervously. "Just try to keep a low profile okay...I don't want to lose customers." He said, warily eyeing Dawn.

"We'll be quick." And with that Vernon turned Dawn and himself away from the ram and into the aisles.

With the shopping done, the two made their way out of the store. Vernon only stopped to wave to the now sickly looking ram, assuring him Dawn would be back 'real soon' before departing. As the two clambered back onto the small moped, bags in tow, Dawn spoke.

"T-that was incredible. I-" She tightened her grip around the wolf's waist for a hug. "Thank you." Dawn couldn't see the red tinge growing beneath the wolf's muzzle fur, but she could feel his tail weakly attempting to wag under her clamp. After she loosened her grip, it freely wagged a bit before settling down.

"That was a huge risk you took for me, you could have gotten into serious trouble." She chided.

"Eh, um." He stuttered. "I knew that would work." He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh you did?" She giggled at him. "Why is that?" 

"Fear always works." The wolf said with a laugh.

Dawn went limp as she heard Vernon's words. Flashes of the museum flickered in her mind and her grip tightened around the wolf.

"H-hey, you alright back there?" Vernon, feeling the change in pressure looked back at the ewe who's face was now buried in his back.

"I-I'm fine." she mumbled through the cloth.

"You sure?" He pressed.

Dawn simply nodded into his jacket, doing her best to push the horrid memories out of her head.

"Well, whenever you want to talk about it I'm here." He sighed, before turning away.

"Now where to next?" He announced loudly.

Dawn snapped out of her funk, raising her head to answer him. "What?"

"Which place we going to next?" Vernon clarified.

"O-oh...well." Dawn pondered for a moment, bringing her hoof to her chin. "I guess...I really need my bank card back." She said softly.

"Alright!" Vernon powered the moped back on. "Lead the way Dawn."

And so it continued, from the bank, to the post office, to the carrot phone store Vernon used his 'influence' to break down the proprietors of each institution. The young Gazelle at the carrot phone store practically clambered over a counter under the wolf's glare. And four hours later when Vernon pulled up to dawn's apartment building Dawn had access to everything she needed to function in modern society. As she unloaded the last bag from the scooter, the wolf powered it back on.

"Welp, I gotta get some sleep before our shift tonight. Don't let that phone keep you up for too long now." Vernon joked.

"Vernon." Dawn paused. "I-I can't even begin to thank you for-" she sighed. "For everything today."

"Don't worry about it Dawn, just trying to help out." He revved the weak engine of the moped. "I'll see you at work tonight, alright?"

As the wolf turned to drive off, he felt the lamb abruptly grasp his arm.

"Wait!" Dawn shouted. The wolf turned to look at the ewe.

"Forget somethin'?" Vernon questioned.

Dawn looked down and nervously fiddled with her hooves. It was now or never for her, that knot had been in her stomach for far too long.

"V-Vernon." She stuttered. "Y-you called me your friend."

The wolf smiled broadly. "Yeah, I assumed we are. Aren't we?"

The ewe nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, of course!" She meekly smiled at the wolf before drooping her head back down.

"B-but I have to know." She twisted her foot awkwardly. "Y-you...know what I did right? You must." Her lip quivered as she spoke.

The wolf nodded solemnly. "I do."

Dawn looked up at him, slightly bewildered. "T-then why, why help me? Why be me friend?" She sputtered.

The wolf was silent, and with each passing moment Dawn grew more and more nervous. After what seemed like an eternity Vernon finally spoke.

"My Momma always told me everyone deserves a second chance, especially if they are trying." The wolf darted a finger at her. "And I can tell you are trying."

Dawn felt a wave of relief wash over her. She felt a smile begin to form as her eyes began to tear. "H-how can you tell?" She sniffled slightly, trying to hold back the tears.

The wolf pointed to his nose. "My family can smell bullshit a mile away. My pop swears we have a scent for it. I don't personally think we smell anything though, I think it's just good intuition. That much I'll swear by." He smirked.

Dawn and Vernon smiled at each other before the wolf returned to his Vixspa, revving it's engine again.

"See ya at work Dawn." And with that Vernon was gone before she could say another word, waiving as he turned the corner and out of sight. 

After returning to her apartment, stowing her groceries and setting up her phone Dawn plopped into her bed ready for a heavy sleep. That day's sleep was not clouded with the hideous nightmare that continually plagued her, allowing her a much needed comfort that had eluded her for quite some time. Waking up refreshed, Dawn headed back to the Bug-Burga in high spirits. The day had been the best she had had in a long time, and she was more than happy to tell Vernon that over and over again on shift. As Dawn toyed with her new carrot phone, Vernon sat next to her making puzzle game recommendations.

The wolf pointed to the face of the phone the ewe was holding. "And another good one is-" The wolf stopped and suddenly placed the paw over his face. "Ah you know what, all this chatter and I didn't even give you my cell number." Vernon laughed.

"Oh! of course. Hold on!" Dawn beamed as she opened up her contacts entry. "Okay, I'm ready.

The wolf held out his phone, reading off the face. "It's three three three-" His phone suddenly buzzed in his paw, causing the wolf to groan.

"That's probably Wade." He muttered.

"Who's Wade?" Dawn was curious.

"My brother, he works at Precinct Three in Tundratown. Probably got some complaint about our little exploits today." The wolf muttered, turning away from Dawn while checking his phone.

"You have a brother?" Dawn asked.

"Several, although he's the only one in the official ZPD." The wolf muttered.

"Several..."Dawn lingered on the word, something about it was nagging at her memory.

"Yeah, listen to this, he says 'C'mon P, I got enough headaches without hearing from mammals about my big scary brother terrorizing their shops. You're lucky the law is on your side, but still? Bellwether? You make some pretty weird friend choices.'" The wolf read in a mocking tone.

"P?" She leaned in to the conversation, something was coming back to her.

The wolf turned back to her putting his phone down. He ran his paw through his head fur looking embarrassed.

"Y-yeah, it's a nickname my brothers gave me. I was the runt of the family, so they called me-"

"PUPPY!" Dawn's eyes went wide as she leapt to her feet. The wolf actually flinched in turn, somewhat confused by her reaction.

"That obvious huh? I suppose it makes sense see-"

"IT'S ME! FLOOFY!" She gestured hard at her chest, staring at the wolf in pure disbelief.

"Dawn, what are yo-" The wolf's face went blank, and slowly a smile crawled across his muzzle as the realization hit. "Meadowland elementary school?"

Dawn nodded vigorously. "Third grade recess!" She was beaming now.

Vernon's eyes had widened to match hers, and in a swift motion he swept Dawn into a tight hug.

"I can't believe it! Floofs, it's you! I can't believe I didn't recognize you!" He squeezed tightly.

Dawn tried her best to get her hooves around his frame, but she couldn't quite reach. She squeezed as tightly as she could muster. "Lamb sakes, you've gotten so big. They still call you Puppy?"

Vernon gently placed her back down, then rubbed the back of his head. "Unfortunately. I could be as big as an elephant and I'd wager my brothers would still call me that."

Dawn laughed. "Well, I guess I'll try to keep from calling you that then."

The wolf turned his head, a red tinge barely visible across his muzzle. "Well, y'know." He coughed. "I can always make an exception for you Floofs." He grumbled, the lamb smirked in response. There was an awkward silence before Vernon sat back down on the counter and sighed.

"Where did you go Floofs? You just, disappeared one day." His tone was sad. Dawn sat next to him, placing a hoof on his leg.

"M-my Dad found out I was playing with a predator..." She said somberly. "So he took me out of school." The wolf glanced at her sadly. "He put me in an all prey academy. And it was basically all down hill from there."

Vernon put an arm around her, pulling her into a side hug. "I'm sorry to hear that Dawn."

The lamb sighed deeply, taking solace in the embrace. As he released her she glanced back up to him. There were so many questions to ask him. Eventually she settled on starting from the beginning.

"What about you? What did you do after I left?" She said, her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Vernon.

The wolf sighed deeply, staring up at the dingy ceiling of the Bug-Burga. 

"I..." He looked down again. "I was really sad about you for a while. Outside of my brothers you were the first friend I had."

Dawn was shocked. "No."

"Yeah." He smirked. "I had a bad habit of throwing myself into fights when I was a pup. Standing up for little mammals, as you probably remember."

Dawn giggled at the thought.

"Welp, whether I won the fight or not, and more often it was 'not'. The mammals I stood up for were usually too scared of me to even thank me, let alone be my friends."

Dawn patted his leg sympathetically.

"When I got older, I started feeling guilty about hurting anyone, even if they were jerks. I didn't really want to fight if I didn't have to. I was afraid I was kind of playing into wolf stereotypes. Luckily I shot up like a corn stalk just before high school." He illustrated his growth by raising his paw above his head.

"After that I could rely on intimidation and words. The fact that I was huge, and I had six brothers all in the same school caused most of the bullies I came across to back down. And I think not hurting any mammal ended up earning me all those friends around then. They didn't really see me as a violent savage as long as I wasn't scratching and biting." He mused.

"So when Gus said that you didn't have a mean bone in your body?" She queried.

"Technically he was right, but my glare could practically bore holes through a mammal." Vernon chuckled.

"You know, I didn't have any friends until college myself." Dawn interjected.

"Ouch." Vernon remarked. Dawn gave him a gentle punch in the arm, which the wolf rubbed in response.

"Oohhh, mean sheep." He laughed. Dawn simply stuck her tongue out in response.

"That reminds me, Sheepdog?" Dawn quizzed.

"Gus penned that one, though to be fair most of my friends were caprids, I mean it was the Meadowlands." He chuckled lightly. "One giant wolf friends with a bunch of small prey animals, it was quite a sight." The two shared a long laugh, which Vernon ended with a contented sigh.

"After that I lingered around the Meadowlands for a few years. Dad was pushing for me to get into police work, but I didn't really want to. I kinda got into designing buildings in high school, and I really loved it. So when the starter money came in for my turn at college, I wanted to pursue my dream."

"That's really noble." Dawn said.

"Pfft...tell that to my Dad." The wolf muttered.

"He didn't take it well I guess?" She said knowingly.

"He was disappointed, he said I 'had the most potential' out of all of my brothers when it came to being a cop. Pointed out all those mammals I helped as a kid as a sign that I was meant for it. 'Justice is in your blood son' he told me, 'And one day you'll be a sheriff like me.'" The wolf chuckled softly. 

"Wow..." Dawn smirked. "Your Dad seemed to really believe in you."

The wolf stifled a laugh and dismissed the air with a paw. "Please, he used that line on all of my brothers. That's why I got three brothers in police, one in criminal forensics, one in legal, and the last one studying to be a trooper. Zachary is even his deputy at North Meadowlands P.D. If anyone's gunnin' for the old mams job it's him."

"When you said your family were mostly police dogs, you really weren't kidding." Dawn said with surprise.

"That's not even counting uncles, aunts and cousins." The wolf gave her a tiresome look.

"Anyway." The wolf continued. "Mom was supportive, she told me to go for it. But Dad had the final say, and he was adamant that if I was going for such a 'unstable' career choice I'd have to pay the full tuition on my own. They weren't going to help out like with my other brothers. So I went to Gus for help, who by that point had moved to Zootopia. His Grandpa franchised this Bug-Burga, and put Gus in charge of the place when he was done with college. So Gus was able to offer me this position which allowed me to pay for my tuition at Z.U., and he let me room with him for a while till I could afford my own place."

The wolf placed his hands on his legs to lean forward, inadvertently forgetting Dawn's hoof was still resting on one. The unexpected touch caused the two of them to draw back quickly, turning away from one another. Dawn felt heat enter her cheeks coupled with a strange flutter, she chalked it up to some lingering fear of the wolf. 'It certainly couldn't be anything else' she thought. The wolf coughed awkwardly.

"So here I am, working at this hole in the wall and about three months away from graduation." The wolf quickly turned back to Dawn. "But listen to me prattling on, what about you? There's gotta be more that happened between when we met and er..." The wolf paused, clearly uncomfortable. "that whole incident."

Dawn shook her head, shaking off the more confusing thoughts in order to answer Vernon. "Ugh..." She groaned. "There really isn't much to tell. My life in the Spiral Horn Academy was mostly studying. No social calls, no friends." She slumped forward.

"I really find that hard to believe, you were a sweetheart when I knew you." Vernon replied.

Again Dawn blushed. "W-well I was shy." She did her best to push her blushing down. "And my father kept me on a tight leash. Grade school friends weren't a priority to his plans for me."

"Sounds like a real hard ass." Vernon muttered.

"You don't know the half of it. He was drunk and abusive, and trying to live out his failed dreams through me." Dawn's ears drooped at the memories, she could feel tears starting to rise but suppressed it. Vernon pulled her in for another side hug, and a tingle ran up her spine.

"That's terrible. You know, my Dad may be a little bit of a grouse. But he was always a good mammal. Can't even begin to imagine what that was like." The wolf shared her pained expression.

"Well the good part of my family wanting nothing to do with me anymore means I don't have to put up with seeing him anymore, so there is that." Dawn gave a halfhearted smirk.

The wolf released her from the hug, but kept a paw on her shoulder. "Surely it was better in college?"

The lamb put a hoof to her chin. "I dormed at home so I still had my father looming over me. I did get a couple of friends then...but." She sighed. "Not like I have them anymore."

The wolf shifted uncomfortably. "I-uh." He coughed. "I'm sorry, seems like everything I'm asking about is just making you feel worse."

The ewe smirked at Vernon, giving a playful swat of the wolf's knee. "Oh Puppy, it doesn't bother me much anymore. Believe me I've been through this all already in therapy, don't worry about it."

The wolf was still visibly reluctant to continue, his ears pinned back. "Well...was there anything good in college?" He asked.

"Well, I got really into writing. It was something I didn't 'share' with my Dad, so I had it all to myself. I really enjoyed it." She fondly recalled.

The wolf seemed to relax and flashed a small smile. "Ever think about picking it up again?"

Dawn smiled. "Maybe I will. I mean, if things get better." She began to swing her legs back and forth idly as she sat on the counter. " I don't really have much inspiration these days."

"You could always write about your time in office." The wolf half joked.

A burst of laughter erupted from the ewe, and she clasped her muzzle. "Oh please, that would just be three hundred pages about how terrible working for Lionheart was."

The wolf chuckled. "Ya' know, I always thought he seemed like a real prick."

Dawn couldn't contain her laughter, she held her stomach as she choked it out. The wolf joined her in the hearty cackle. She was practically in tears when she saw the wolf's ear flicker, and he suddenly stopped laughing.

"Hello, welcome to Bug-Burga, what can I get for you?" He suddenly said into the headset, gesturing for Dawn to be quiet as did her best to stifle her giggling.

"Canid size mango fruit blend?" The wolf suddenly turned to Dawn. "Ah teeth to tails, I never went over how to mix those did I?"

Dawn softly nodded no, and the wolf placed a paw over his face. "One moment sir."

"Dawn, I hate to ask this but" Dawn suddenly felt uneasy, she had a feeling she knew what Vernon was going to ask. "-will you take the window on this? I'll teach you how to make them later, but for now I better mix this."

Dawn nervously clacked her hooves. "O-oh Puppy, I don't know..."

The wolf hopped off the counter and turned to Dawn, placing both paws on her shoulders. "Dawn, I'll be right here. If they try anything I have your back. Trust me."

Dawn was silent for a few moments before slowly nodding. Releasing the ewe, the wolf turned his attention back to the headset. 

"That will be two ninety-three, please drive up to the window that you can reach." The wolf said.

He turned back to Dawn, giving her a quick thumbs up as he began to back further into the kitchen. Dawn gave a weak thumbs up in response before hopping off the counter and trudging toward the three different delivery windows. Silently she prayed the car wouldn't pull up to the large mammal window, as that would require a ladder on top of the raised steps it already had. After a few moments the side of a van appeared in the middle sized window. Dawn slowly made her way up the three step platform, and carefully opened the window.

In the driver's seat Dawn saw a small, caramel colored fox wearing sun glasses in spite of the fact it was nearly one in the morning. He turned his head to the ewe, lowering his shades and looking at her dully.

"U-um...that will be two ninety-three li-." She bit her tongue to stop herself from calling him a little boy. Being a smaller than average mammal, she knew nothing was worse than being mistaken for a child. She quickly corrected herself. "-sir."

The little fennec reached out, bills in paw. Dawn had to stretch to reach him, but managed to barely snag the bucks. As she punched the correct info into the cash register she heard a startlingly deep voice.

"I know you?" She snapped her head to see the voice was coming from the fennec. Dawn became more uneasy.

"N-nooo..." She did her best to lie, but her stutter betrayed her.

The fox leaned in slightly, squinting his eyes in suspicion. The ewe's discomfort growing as his stare lingered. Suddenly he spoke again.

"Yeah, you're that sheep. The crazy ex-mayor. Bellwether. Yeah." The fennec fox said matter-of-factly.

Dawn was sweating bullets now while the fennec continued to stare. She began to feel light headed, her legs weakening as the uncomfortable silence lingered. She could feel the little mammals eyes judging her. She was nearly ready to run when she felt Vernon's paw on her shoulder, immediately easing the anxiety.

"One large mango fruit blend." The wolf handed off the drink the tiny mammal.

The small mammal looked at his drink curiously, before turning back to eye the ewe.

"You spit in this?" He asked.

Shocked, the ewe sputtered. "W-what? Of course not."

The fox eyed the drink again, then returned his gaze to Dawn.

"You sure?" He muttered.

"Sir, I made the drink. She couldn't have spit in it." Vernon replied flatly.

The fennec stared at both of them for a while, creating yet another awkward silence. Dawn and Vernon exchanged a confused glance before turning back to the fox.

"Alright, but if you did. I'll be back mam." The fennec huffed. He then pointed two fingers, one at each of his eyes, and then pointed them at the pair. He continued to repeat the gesture as he slowly pulled away from the window leaving a very confused wolf and ewe.

As the large van turned onto the highway and disappeared into the night, the ewe slowly closed the drive-through window. The two turned to one another, and as the absurdity of the conversation hit them, they burst into a fit of giggling.


	6. Of Long Burned Bridges

Detective Nicholas P. Wilde had changed a lot in the nearly four years since he joined the ZPD. While the night howler case had been a massive scandal that had threatened Zootopia at large, when it came to grit it had been fairly light. Now buried far behind various cases involving murder, arson, gang warfare, drug busts, and armed robbery, the night howler incident seemed to pale in comparison to the horrors Zootopia’s seedy underbelly could provide. Despite having the best and brightest partner the ZPD had to offer, the work had still taken a toll on the fox. While it wasn’t readily apparent from a distance, a closer inspection of the mammal revealed the full extent of his time on the force. His tired eyes were still as piercing green as the first day he had started, but they had lost some of that sparkle that belied his lighthearted personality. His fur had developed touches of gray around the edges of his eyes and the tip of his tail, the result of the stress that went paw in paw with the nature of police work.

Just below the surface of his well maintained uniform, buried under the fur of his right shoulder lie a scar left by a stray bullet. The scar had been picked up whilst in the line of fire in a bank robbery at Zootopia’s First National Bank a year into his tenure. He couldn’t remember which had been worse, the blinding pain of the bullet entering his shoulder, or the quavering voice of Carrots as she cradled him and called for help. Nick's most visible scar however was the large notch in his left ear, torn in by the teeth of a strung out badger during a simple domestic dispute a year prior. It's visibility bothered Nick to some extent, but he played it off as adding character to his already 'charismatic' self.

But the external changes were small compared to how Nick had changed on the inside. For one, the events of night howler case, or more specifically the friendship he had developed with a certain bunny cop had made him a less cynical and more emotionally open mammal. That wasn’t to say he had given up his title as the master of snark, but Judy had given him something to believe in, and more importantly someone to rely on. The lasting impact of their friendship had helped ease Nick's distrust of others, and because of that he had forged many new friendships at the ZPD. Many of the mammals at the ZPD took to the 'comedy king' of the bullpen fairly quickly, and even Bogo eventually warmed to his personality, though he was loath to admit it. The ZPD had become a second family to Nick, but still there was no one who could take the place of his beloved Carrots.

Going legit also gave him sense of personal pride. He may not have always been able to agree with Judy’s idea that they were making a big difference, but his new life had given him a sense of purpose and the drive to better himself.

 

Before Hopps came along he would boast about how much money his various schemes made him. But despite his cool demeanor there had always been a pang of shame in living up to the broad brush strokes society had painted his kind with. The same shame that kept him from re-connecting with his mother for so long, a vixen who lived her life the way she wanted to and not the way other mammals expected her to. The same vixen who burst into tears when her son appeared on her doorstep after his years of absence. At the time she professed she hadn’t cared whether he was a scammer or a cop, just that he had come home again. Although later she would admit that she was proud that Nick had become the fox she always knew he was. That was another highlight on the long list of positive changes Hopps made on his life, as it was her prompting and pushing that lead him to reach back out to his mother after all this time.

But not everything was a change for the better, at least in Nick's eyes. Over the years he and Hopps had become especially close. On the force they worked exclusively together, they had moved in together, and spent nearly all of their free time together. Nick had been able to convince himself that all of this was standard best friend behavior. But what he couldn't waive off were the increasingly odd thoughts popping into his head more and more during their daily routine. How cute she looked when she passed out on the couch during their movie nights. The way her eyes sparkled with determination when saddled with a particularly tough case. The way her smirk sent chills down his spine. Nick had prided himself on being a fairly observant fox, he was quick on the uptake and great with details. Hell, it was these traits that had secured him a place at the ZPD, and the eventually promotion to detective. But it took Clawhuaser of all mammals to spell out for him exactly what the feelings he was experiencing were. Nicholas P. Wilde was hopelessly in love with Judy Laverne Hopps, and he hated himself for it.

There where numerous reasons why he hated feeling this way for her. While interspecies relationships were fairly common, ones between predator and prey were still largely vilified in modern society. There was also the possibility of ruining the best relationship he'd ever had in his life if she didn't return his feelings, although Clawhauser was certain she'd feel the same. Then there was also their careers to think about, and whether or not a relationship would jeopardize all they had accomplished. But the absolute worst thing, the thing that really hit home with him, was the close call Judy had a few months ago.

It was a memory he couldn't help but recall as he quietly watched Judy diligently typing at her desk across the way in their shared office. It was a quiet spring day, and there were very little large cases as of late. The past two months had been largely peaceful aside from the usual petty crimes, and although great for the city it gave the pair very little to actually do. In his boredom he had begun twiddling his canister of fox repellant, flicking the safety on and off at random as he stared at the distracted bunny. As she shrugged in an effort to get more comfortable he could make out the edge of the jagged scar on her neck from the incident. The incident that caused him to start carrying fox repellant in the first place. A simple public drunkenness call, a belligerent fox, so much blood.

He should have tranqed him, tackled him, anything. If he had been quicker on the draw he could have prevented it. But Judy, fearless as always had convinced him to let her talk the drunken fox down. It all seemed so standard at first, Judy would talk the perp down like always, they'd take him to the drunk tank, write a report and go home. But suddenly the situation went south as the fox, seemingly unprovoked, lunged and bit down hard on her neck. It was a blur after that, beating the other fox unconscious, calling in for help in hysterics, cradling Judy in his arms, the blood staining his paws. Luckily the bastard's teeth had just missed the artery, otherwise Carrots wouldn't be sitting across from him right now. But that day made him realize just how vulnerable he was. Judy was the only mammal he truly cared about, and without her nothing else mattered to him. It was that realization, that every day on the job held the possibility of losing the most precious mammal in his life, was truly the worst thing about the whole mess.

After that his stance on his own kind had hardened. He used to try to be understanding, but now to him a fox that wasn't working to make themselves better was a fox that wasn't worth the time or effort to help, wasn't worth the risk of losing his Carrots.

Nick shook his head vigorously in an attempt to dispel the dark memories, gently placing the locked fox repellant on his desk. He leaned over his desk to stare at the clock on the office wall, his ears flicking in time with the tick of the second hand. In a half hour they'd be clocking out, heading back to their shared apartment to watch cheesy cop flicks as was their Sunday night ritual. Still the anticipation was not enough to fully clear his mind, the silence needed to be broken with some witty banter. Grabbing a sheet of printer paper from his desk, he quickly crumpled it into a tight ball. Turning his attention to the thoroughly distracted rabbit, he aimed for the sweet spot.

He wound his good arm back, held it for a moment to keep on target, then released the paper projectile. It sailed across the small office, making a beeline for the space between Judy's ears. However, at the tail end of the pitch it went wide, causing it to softly smack against the rabbit's ear. She flinched in response, before turning to look at Nick with an annoyed look.

"Really Nick? This isn't a grade school." The rabbits nose twitched in irritation.

The fox shrugged, throwing her his trademark grin. "Hey, I was aiming for between the goalposts. Must be getting rusty." 

She chuckled softly as she went back to typing. 

Nick rose from his seat and sauntered his way over to her desk, leaning over her as she worked. He remained silent, knowing if he waited long enough the rabbit would give him the response he was looking for. He listened as he heard the typing slow, and eventually stop.

"NICK." They said simultaneously as the rabbit turned to him. She simply groaned in response to the fox's mimicry.

"I knew I'd get ya Carrots." Nick laughed as she shoved him with her paw.

"You know I don't like people standing over me while I type!" She huffed.

The fox raised his paws defensively. "Hey, hey, relax. I'm just playing around Fluff. I just wanted to see what you were working on."

Judy whined softly as she turned back to the laptop and started to type again. "I'm just cleaning up some reports for the chief. I want them to be as detailed as possible."

Nick leaned in and peered at the screen. "Tch....Carrots. A report on a purse-napping probably doesn't need to be ten pages long."

Judy turned to Nick. "Well it's jus-" her ears drooped, and she placed a paw over her face. "Argh, I've got nothing else to do right now. It's been so slow." She slumped in her chair.

"Tell me about it." He crossed his arms. "I mean don't get me wrong, I'm glad the peace is being kept. Still at this point I'd be willing to do parking duty for a change of scenery."

The rabbit stifled a snorting laugh, which caused Nick to look at her curiously. "What's that for?" He asked.

"I'm just picturing you in the little meter maid outfit I was wearing my first time out there." She snickered.

"Hey, you know I'd make that look good." He playfully dabbed his paw at his face, earning even more laughter from the rabbit.

"So...any interesting reports from the other officers?" He asked.

"Just mundane stuff, nip bust, theft, domestic disturbance, night howler smuggling." She muttered.

"Again with the night howler. I wish they'd just ban that stuff." Nick muttered.

"It wouldn't do anything anyway, making something illegal doesn't stop bad mammals from using it." She shrugged.

Nick growled with annoyance as he leaned against the nearby wall.

"Fangmeyer caught him though, department thinks it was for a personal dispute. Husband trying to poison his wife to avoid alimony payments or something, it was a really small amount." She continued skimming the report.

"So no further investigation needed." He asked.

"Nope." She sighed. They were both silent, and it hung in the air for what seemed like forever before the door swung open. The duo turned to see a familiar fennec fox standing in the frame.

"Hey Finn, how's my favorite pint sized undercover agent." The fox snorted.

Finnick sneered. "Least I ain't got a notch ear. Makes you look even more shifty."

Nick touched his damaged ear and feigned dismay. "Ouch, my pride." He sarcastically lamented. "I'll have you know I wear like a badge of honor, as well as my gunshot scar." He said, placing a paw on his shoulder. "Still acts up when it rains." Judy rolled her eyes at Nick's usual theatrics.

"Alright gramps. You wanna tell me some 'back in my day' stories next?" Finnick smirked as Judy did her best to stifle her laughter.

"har-dee har har." The fox pantomimed laughter before letting out a dull groan.

Finnick made his way to the chair set across from Judy's desk, and as he clambered up into the seat Nick leaned forward expectantly, placing a paw on Judy's desk.

"Now, you get anything good?" Nick queried.

"You got the twenty Z's you owe me?" Finnick retorted.

Nick crossed his arms in defiance, only to feel Judy gently elbow him in the rib. The red fox grumbled. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a twenty and placed it on the desk. The smaller fox snatched up and chuckled.

"Told ya man, never bet against Sahara Slashers." Finnick said.

"Yeah, yeah, now tell me you got some info on the counterfeiting going on in Savannah Central." The fox was adamant.

"I wouldn't be here otherwise. I got plenty." The little fox gave a smug grin as he handed the pair of sunglasses he had hanging from his collar over to Judy. As Judy plugged a small USB cable into the glasses Nick whistled.

"Mam, they give you some fun toys over at Precinct Two." Nick grinned as he looked over the specs.

"Old Chief Drome likes to keep his best officers up to date, unlike some other precincts." He flashed a smug grin.

"Alright boys, save it for the annual inter-office baseball game." Judy joked. "Now which folder am I looking in?" 

"The one from three days ago." Finnick replied.

Judy opened the folder and began scrolling through the pictures. Most of them were in Tundratown, revealing a particularly run down looking ice cream factory. There were several photos of large bricks of ice containing stacks of Z bucks, and a well dressed ermine overseeing the operation. Nick merely peered from where he was standing as she sifted through each photo.

"Seems the operations based in Tundratown, at the old Arendelle Ice Cream Factory. They've been making the counterfeit bills there and transporting them in large ice blocks to Sahara Square.." The fennec stated.

"Ice blocks? Didn't Koslov do something like that years ago?" Judy asked.

The diminutive fox stood in the large chair and began to pace as he continued. "Smuggling through ice was Koslov's specialty, but he got out of organized crime years ago. Had a change of heart like Mr. Big."

Nick threw Judy his usual smug grin. "We can thank godmother Carrots for that one." Judy simply smirked at him in response.

"Anyway, place was free of any trace of Koslov's claw marks, but it ain't no secret how he smuggled stuff around. Seems the perp is a fan of his methods. You got that picture of the ermine?" Finnick stopped pacing to turn to Judy. As she returned to the picture she nodded for Finn to continue.

"Name's Evard Stoat, he's head of the operation and desperate to fill the void left by Koslov and Big's absence. Basically trying to set himself up as Zootopia's new and only crime lord. But he ain't too bright." Finnick smirked.

"I take it we've got a lot more on him then just the photos at the factory?" Judy asked.

"He's left a paper trail a mile wide, me and my partner got more than enough to nail this sucka to the wall!" Finnick slammed his fist in his palm and bared his teeth in excitement.

The room fell silent for a minute as the two cops regarded the little agent, but it wasn't long before Nick had to pipe up. Finn's buttons were too easy to push, and once again it proved too tantalizing for Nick's barbs. He sniffled loudly, bringing up a paw to wipe his eye.

"My little boy's all grown up." Nick feigned more sniffles. "Papa's so proud of you." Judy covered her mouth to hide her smirk as the smaller fox glared at Nick.

"mam, you better watch it." He snarled. Nick only faked a defensive pose in response.

"Hey, you said it yourself. I inspired you to join the ZPD. Remember?" Nick gave him his famous half lidded eyes and smug grin. "It was touching." He placed a paw over his heart.

The fennec growled at Nick before dropping the rage with an irritated sigh. "I-" He shook his head vigorously. "I didn't say it like that mam, don't put words in my muzzle."

"But you did say it. Roughly." The fox shrugged, his grin widening.

"Look, Sheila got TundraTown's Precinct and I'm here to get Savannah on board and make sure this bust is happening! It takes a lot of effort getting all the departments to work together!" Finnick had turned back to Judy sharply, trying to change the subject. Judy was still stifling her laughter, which gave Nick another opening.

"Oh mam Sheila! She still got that picture of her carrying you in her pouch away from that legalize nip protest? She promised to share it with me on Furbook, I bet it's the cutest thing." Nick emphasized the word cute in a sickeningly sweet fashion. He could swear he could see the little vein on Finn's forehead was about to burst.

"I WAS WOUNDED BY THE PISSED OFF PROTESTORS! IT WAS THE ONLY WAY SHE COULD GET ME OUT OF THERE!" Finnick yelled, his fists clenched as he snarled.

"Boys! BOYS!" Judy now stood in her chair, holding her paws out at each of them. After the two fell silent, she sat back down. "You have our support, we'll be ready to move when you are Officer Finnick."

The small fox seemed to relax, sitting back down in the chair and crossing his arms. "Thanks Hopps." He replied, his calm demeanor returning at the show of respect.

"I just need to let the Chief know and- Oh SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS!" Judy quickly slapped her paws over her eyes as the computer screen switched to another picture. 

Both foxes ears shot up at the sound, and as Nick leaned in to see what was wrong the sight of what was on the monitor caused him to cover his mouth in glee. Nick's grin was practically ear to ear, and he was shaking trying to keep the laugher in. Finnick clambered onto the desk to see what had worked up the two only to pale when he saw the screen. This sent Nick over the edge, and he collapsed on the floor in hysterics. There, in glorious high resolution, was the under skirt of a female gazelle from a very short mammals point of view.

"Officer Finnick." Judy admonished. "Did you-?" She began to flip through the other photos, seeing what appeared to be more of the same gazelle's posterior. The small fox was sweating bullets. "Finnick!" Judy said with disgust.

"I-I said the folder from three days ago! W-why did you look in yesterday's?" He sputtered. 

Nick was practically howling as he slowly pulled himself back up to the desk. "H-Ha still-" He gasped. "Haven't figured out H-Ha how to turn off slideshow Carrots?" He sputtered. Finnick glanced at Nick, his eyes filled with panic. Nick's response was to merely waive him off, Nick couldn't get him out of this one. As Finnick turned back to Judy he could see the rabbit now staring daggers at him.

"This is extremely, EXTREMELY unprofessional, and grounds for sexual harassment." Judy said sternly.

"I-I was off duty, and I wasn't at the precinct." The little fox protested.

"Not to mention a gross misuse of police equipment, invasion of privacy, egregious unprofessionalism. If this is the same Gazelle in all of the pictures, then stalking, not to mentio-" as Judy continued to flick through the photos the last picture stunned her into silence. Nick's laughter died away as he too saw the picture of a very familiar mammal working in a drive through window. Finnick jumped to take advantage of the silence, clearly eager to steer the conversation away from his free time activities.

"Aw yeah, forgot I took that one. Tha-" 

"Bellwether, Dawn Bellwether?" Judy muttered in disbelief.

"Yeah." The fennec cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I uh, wanted to show you guys this one...thought you might be interested." 

"She's out?" Judy said in a harsh, questioning tone. She turned to Nick, who shrugged in response.  
"It's been four years already? Damn, how time flies." Nick replied.

"Why didn't I hear about this? Someone should have told me!" Judy growled.

Nick raised his arms defensively. "Hey, don't look at me. I didn't know either Fluff."

In a swift motion Judy slammed her paw on the intercom. "CLAWHAUSER!? ARE YOU THERE?" She barked into the receiver, causing both foxes to wince.

After a moment of silence the chipper voice of the cheetah chimed in. "Whoa Judy, you sound upset. Is everything okay?" He asked, worry apparent in his voice.

"Did you know Bellwether was out of prison?" She snarled.

"Oh yeah." The cheetah hummed. "Last week I think. It was pretty quiet. I think only a handful of mammals know."

"WHY DO YOU KNOW, BUT DETECTIVE WILDE AND I DON'T?" Her voice was strained. There was a silence on the other side for a while before Clawhauser finally spoke, Judy's ferocity had seemingly spooked him into a timid state.

"I-I...uh" He muttered.

"I told the officers who knew to keep it quiet." The familiar deep voice of Chief Bogo cut in.

Judy stared at the intercom in disbelief.

"Ch-ief?" She sputtered.

"You heard me Hopps." His response was gruff and emotionless. Judy turned to Nick, confusion marking her face. Again Nick shrugged, unsure of what to make of the events. 

"B-but why sir?" She mumbled dumbly.

"It was required to keep the release hush, hush." Bogo stated. "Thanks to Snow's Prisoner Privacy Act, the release of a well known prisoner on parole is only disseminated to law enforcement and government officials, and then slowly released to the public to prevent a media frenzy that could jeopardize a prisoner's rehabilitation. Considering the nature of her crime, such knowledge released to the public could create unrest, or put the prisoner in harms way. It is standard procedure Lieutenant Hopps." The statement was blunt, as if read from a cue card.

Nick could see that Judy was reeling, she kept glancing to the fox. Her eyes shining with a different emotion each time. Horror, rage, sadness fear. Nick wanted to say something reassuring, but no words came. Before he could think of anything, Hopps pressed the chief further.

"Sir? Why weren't Detective Wilde and I informed like the other officers?" Judy asked.

There was an uncomfortable silence from the intercom followed by a long sigh.

"I believed you and Wilde were too..." The water buffalo paused. "emotionally compromised to deal with the information at the time." It was hard to notice, but there was hesitation in his voice as he said it.

"Emotionally compr-" The rabbit's voice quavered. Judy paused and cleared her throat. "Emotionally compromised? Sir, with all due respect we are your best officers and are familiar with Bellwether's case. Surely we should have been notified of her pending release."

"The case is closed Hopps, there's no crime to pursue." Bogo replied calmly.

"B-but surely there should be some officers monitoring her? Mammals that are familiar with her behavior like Nick and I! We'd-" 

"ENOUGH HOPPS" Bogo bellowed, causing the assembled officers to wince. "Bellwether is currently being monitored by the parole officer assigned to her, and the board who voted for her release. They've probably spent more time around the lamb at this point than you have."

The rabbit looked to Nick almost pleadingly, seemingly looking for back-up. The fox rolled his eyes, but decided to try to step in. 

"Sir, at they very least someone from this precinct could also monitor her. Lieutenant Hopps and I would feel more at ease at least knowing what she's up too. Whether it's nothing or otherwise." Nick stated coolly. "I mean this is the safety of the city were talking about, after what she did-"

"Detective Wilde." The buffalo sighed. " Look, I am on your side, both of you. You think I'm a fan of what she did? But we have to trust in the system and have faith that she is being monitored accordingly. We haven't even been given pertinent information as to were she's currently living or working." 

There was a long silence, and the pair of cops exchanged uncertain looks. Bogo finally spoke again. "Trust me, it is better for our precinct not to get involved, and especially you two. It would be better to just try to forget it."  
Judy opened her mouth to speak, but Nick placed a paw on her shoulder causing her to stop. She looked at him sadly, and Nick shook his head in response.

"Yes sir." Nick and Judy muttered, their voices laced with reluctance.

"Good, and let this be the last I hear of it. I don't want to think about it any more than you two. Good day Officers." And with that the intercom went silent.

The room had become deathly quiet, with the fox and rabbit seemingly frozen. Nick had his own reservations about Bellwether's release. But he was more concerned with the state of the rabbit now slumped over her desk, ears draped over her keyboard. His paw still on her shoulder, he gingerly shook it until she turned to look at him.

"I hate to say it Carrots, but I think Buffalo Butthead is right on this one. We got enough to work on without worrying ourselves over what Bellwether's up too. I'm sure she's got more than enough eyes on her." He patted her gently.

The sound of the door slowly opening drew their attention, and they turned to find Finnick sneaking his way out of the room. At some point he had snagged his sunglasses back, as they now hung from his collar again. Finnick froze under the gaze of the two.

"Uh...erm." He coughed awkwardly. "You guys probably need some time...I'll get going. Just call my office when you get the clear from old horn head." Slowly and awkwardly, the little fox started to edge his way out the door.

"Wait! Finnick!" Judy called. 

The fennec stopped in his tracks. Slowly he turned his head to look at Judy, worry etching his face.

"Which Bug-Burga was that photo taken at?" She asked.

"Wait what?" Nick asked.

"Um...the one on Elm." Finnick said, confused.

"And how late was it?" Judy continued.

The little fox shrugged. "Dunno, one-ish? Two-ish? It was late."

The rabbit turned to Nick, growing a small grin.

"Oh no Carrots, no way. Bogo said-"

"He doesn't have to know Nick, he doesn't know where she works. We can just-"  
"Absolutely not! Carrots this is a terrible idea, just drop it!" The fox waived his arms frantically.

"We'd only go to observe for like a half hour on a few of our late patrols! She won't even know were there!" Judy was now standing on her seat, her nose twitching excitedly. 

"Carrots are you even hearing yourself right now!? Finn, back me-" Nick turned to see that the little fox had long disappeared, fleeing during the distraction. Nick dragged his paw over his face in exasperation. "Carrots, no. Just no. Alright?"

The rabbits ears drooped, and her eyes went wide. Nick knew what was coming, the best weapon in Carrot's arsenal. He did his best to strengthen his reserve in anticipation. 

"Carrots! Don't you dare!" He growled.

Her lip began to quiver as her large amethyst eyes stared into him, he could feel his will beginning to crumble.

"Carrots..." He whimpered.

"Please Nick..." She said, sadness in her voice. Her eyes were now peering directly into his soul. He covered his eyes with his arm desperately, but he knew it was over.

"Alright! Alright! Fine!" He yelped. "You win." Nick deflated as the rabbit hopped in victory, pumping her fists.

"But we only observe. That's it, okay Carrots?" Nick crossed his arms.

"Okay, thank you Nick." She quickly sat back down and returned to her computer, leaving the fox slightly annoyed. She knew just how to play him.

"Manipulative bunny." He muttered.

"Weak fox." She chirped back before continuing to type.


	7. Ordering Stake-Out

Nick was bored, painfully bored. It had been two weeks since he and Judy had discovered Bellwether was out of prison and that she was working at a local Bug-Burga. Nick had agreed to one or two brief little observation sessions on one of their stray night patrols. However, somehow that had morphed into a two hour at a time stake out every night of the week. Carrots seemed to be determined to catch Bellwether doing, well, Nick had no idea what. Serving over-cooked cicada chips? not making correct change? Or perhaps, heaven forbid, mixing the shakes wrong.

The news that Bellwether was out had went public shortly after they had learned about it from Finnick. It only was in the news for about a day before their raid of the Stoat operation overshadowed it. There was very little visible public outcry about Bellwether after that. The usual online complaints, a petition or two, and a few errant calls to the ZPD to complain. But there were no riots, no civil unrest, no dragging Bellwether through the streets and stringing her up. Zootopia's attention was a fickle thing, and it quickly shifted to the Stoat case, and then Gazelle's performance at the Zootopia Stalk of Fame after that. One thing Wilde could say about the Prisoner Privacy Act was that it had impeccable timing. 

Still, with the Stoat case complete, and all the mammals in the city aware of Bellwether's release Nick figured he'd have it easy for the next few weeks. Nick thought Bogo would even reduce their hours, allowing him to practically auto-pilot his way through the duos meager shifts. However his plans were dashed by the suspicious increase of night patrol assignments they were suddenly saddled with. Someone with a very familiar rabbit-like signature had signed the requests, and unfortunately for Nick Bogo had approved all of them. And so there he was, sitting in a squad car at a quarter to two in the morning, staring at essentially nothing but a lonely building and an empty parking lot. He still had another hour and a half before Judy would be forced to do actual patrolling, or risk Bogo finding out what they've actually been doing on these shifts. 

The night shift did have its perks for the fox though. Being a largely nocturnal mammal made him more alert and awake even if it was wasted for lack of activity. On his usual morning shifts, he really didn't get going till the afternoon. The same couldn't be said for Judy though. The rabbit was currently hanging over the steering wheel, ears laying draped behind her head, and eyes struggling to stay open. 

Night shifts were rare for the duo, and the few they had been on never went well for his rabbit companion. Aside from diminished reaction time and sluggishness, Judy's persistence on always being the one to drive actually caused more traffic violations then they usually would stop. So despite his overall better performance at night, Nick usually differed shift hours decisions for the two to Judy. Normally it didn't bother him too much, as it was easier than getting into an argument with the usually adamant bunny. But even Nick had his limits, and on this night he'd reached it.

"Carrots, I see something." Nick said, his voice quavered.

The rabbit suddenly jerked to attention, sitting straight up. One ear standing on end as her eyes went wide. "WHAT, What I'm awake!" She blearily wiped her eyes.

"I said I think I see something." He repeated slightly louder.

Judy scrambled to grasp the binoculars on the dash board of the cruiser. After visibly clasping them tightly, she brought them to her eyes. Nick watched in slight amusement as she began to focus the goggles, darting them desperately from point to point in an effort to find what he "spotted'. 

"Where!? What's she doing!? What do you see!?" She stammered, continuing her vigorous scan of the restaurant exterior.

"I see...I see..." Nick said, emphasizing each repeat with more feigned excitement.

"WHAT!?" Judy shouted. Nick was certain if she tried to stare any harder her eyes would pop out of the binoculars end.

"A rabbit who's stolen about several hours of my life I'll never get back." Nick deadpanned.

He watched as the rabbit's ears drooped, and as she slowly lowered the binoculars he could see the irritated scowl forming on her face as the realization hit her. He couldn't help but smirk.

"NICK!" She turned and yelled, lightly punching the fox in the arm. Nick was too busy cackling to react.

"Why did you do that!? This is serious!" Judy huffed.

Nick wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter died down. " Serious? I think going through the shipping manifest from the Stoat raid is probably more serious then waiting to see if maybe Bellwether eventually might do something sometime possibly. Hell there were pounds of them."

"NICK!" Judy growled in response.

Nick ignored her and continued. "Really, guy was a farmer in Howlingrad three months ago, suddenly gets an inheritance and starts shipping tons of freight we haven't even tracked or found yet. Who knows what kind of stuff he's peddled all over the city, or to whom."

"Nick, it was probably just personal effects, or materials for the counterfeiting operation. I need your focus on this case!" Judy said sternly, nose twitching with irritation. 

Nick looked at her in disbelief. "Carrots. Bogo was right, there is no case here!" Nick replied. "There is absolutely no reason to be here, so can't we just go get a drink or something? I could use a coffee from Snarlbuck's right about now." He grumbled.

Judy glared hard at Nick. If the fox didn't know better he'd swear she were trying to bore a hole through him. But he didn't acknowledge it.

"One of those frilly fru-fru frozen drinks would really hit the spot. C'mon, don't you want to get out of here and get one too? Amaretto carrot crème?" He cooed at Judy, but she continued to glare at him. 

Then suddenly, an eerie smile wormed it's way across her muzzle, filling Nick with unease.

"Well..." She dragged out the word playfully. "I am kind of thirsty I guess." She cooed innocently back to the fox. Nick knew better, he knew she wasn't just about to let them walk away that easily from whatever this was. His discomfort grew as she turned to look at the quiet restaurant. "And I've got a pretty good idea of where we can get the drinks." She grinned smugly at the fox. Nick's expression was one of shock and horror.

"No Carrots! No! You said-"

"C'mon Nick. Maybe if we go order some take out I'll stop dragging us here." She said sweetly.

"Carrot's." He replied sternly. "You swore to me! We are not doing that. We are turning around right now, and never coming back here." The fox was gesticulating wildly. "I'm done Carrots. This obsession is getting ridiculous!"

Judy flashed the fox the sad eyes and pouty quavering lip, but Nick was unmoved. He had well passed the breaking point and he wasn't backing down. He instead glared sharply down at the rabbit and crossed his arms. After a few moments Judy's expression faltered, turning to one of anger and betrayal.

"NICK!? How can you be like this about Bellwether!? You remember what she did to us don't you!? What she tried to do!?" Judy waived her arm as she argued.

"I remember." Nick replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Then how can you be so calm!? Don't you even care!?" The rabbit was now standing on her feet, meeting Nick's eyes at an even level.

"OF COURSE I CARE!" The fox exploded. "WHAT DO YOU THINK I JUST FORGOT IT HAPPENED!? ME AND BELLWETHER ARE BEST FRIENDS OR SOMETHING!? ARE YOU NUTS!?" 

Nick immediately became awash with guilt as he saw the rabbit recoil from his outburst. Sighing, he turned away from her, head hanging in shame. 

"She almost reduced me to nothing more than a feral monster, and she would have made me kill you Carrots." He said sadly.

He sharply turned to face Judy again. "If we hadn't switched the pellets, If I..." He paused, turning to look out the window again. "I would never have been able to forgive myself."

He felt a paw on his shoulder, and turned to see Judy's own sad eyes looking into his.

"I know you feel like the sentence was unfairly short Carrots. I do too, believe me. " He smiled weakly. "But that's the way the case went, and if I spend to much time dwelling on it I start to feel like..." Nick looked down, unsure of how to phrase his next few words.

"Like old Nick is coming back." He scratched the back of his head uneasily. "The Nick who didn't believe in anything, the Nick who believed everything in Zootopia was built to be unfair." He placed his paw on Judy's shoulder in kind. "The Nick who didn't have any mammal to trust."

Judy smiled and turned away, causing Nick to retract his paw. Nick turned to look out the window, staring off at the barely visible stars in the night sky.

"We can only do out jobs right? That way we know at least the part we play in the system is fair." He sighed. "But If I was judge, jury, and executioner, I'd put her away for life." Nick chuckled darkly.

There was silence as he continued to stare at the sky, and it hung in the cruiser for a while before Judy spoke.

"It's not that Nick." He turned around, giving the rabbit a surprised look.

"Then what's this about?" He muttered.

Judy looked down, seeming to shrink under his gaze. Whatever she had to say, it was clearly bothering her. 

"Judy." He pressed.

"I trusted her Nick." She looked back up at Nick, eyes full of sadness.

"She was so nice and friendly, and she was the only one rooting for me for a while. She seemed to really want me to succeed in spite of every other mammal." She sighed, before offering Nick a meek smile. "That is till you came around."

Nick smiled back, placing a paw on Judy's leg.

"Then it turns out it was all just this..." Judy held her arms out dramatically. "big stinking lie!" Her arms flopped back down to her sides limply.

"She had done it all, and she tried to kill us." She crossed her arms, nose scrunched in disgust. Nick continued to listen intently, nodding for her to continue.

"We didn't get to talk to her any more after that, I understood it was procedure but..."

"But?" Nick asked.

Judy sighed again, and turned to look Nick directly in the eye. Her face looked both angry and hurt.

"I wanted to know why. And more importantly, I wanted to give her a piece of my mind." She threw herself back into the seat, letting out a hard exhale.

Again, silence filled the squad car. Nick glanced at the quiet Bug-Burga, scratching his chin with his paw as he thought about what Judy said.

"So that's why we've been doing this? You've been working up the courage to confront Bellwether this whole time?" He asked calmly.

"Yes." He heard her reluctant reply.

Nick continued to stare out the Bug-Burga, seemingly empty under his gaze.

"Were done after this Carrots, okay?" Nick muttered.

"What?" The rabbit sounded confused.

"We'll go talk to her, but you take us off these night shifts after this. And then we put this Bellwether stuff behind us." Nick nodded.

He suddenly felt paws wrap around his waist as Judy pulled him into a hug. He was startled at first, but slowly returned the hug.

"Yes Nick, I promise." She buried her face into his side and the fox could feel the heat rise in his face.

"Yeah, yeah, well you clearly need your beauty sleep, these night shifts are making you look like hell." He chuckled, but was quickly silenced by a sudden elbow to the gut.

As he held his side in pain, the rabbit slumped back down into the driver's seat.

"Mean bunny" He laughed with a wince.

"Rude fox." She replied. 

Jud started the cruiser and quickly made her way across the street and up to the drive-through speaker. As they approached Nick felt uneasy, he wasn't looking forward to this. Both seeing Bellwether again, and the ugly fight that was coming. But it was a small price to pay to close the door on those memories. Still, his nerves found him idly twiddling the fox repellant nozzle on his belt.

"I really wish you'd stop carrying that." Judy uttered, bringing the foxes attention back. However he continued to play with the safety.

"Why?" He chuckled.

"It reminds me of..." She looked down, clearly uncomfortable. "What I used to be like." She muttered.

Nick gave her his usual smug grin. "Hey, I was in the wrong. This stuff is great. Horrible smell and mild irritant in one bottle.."

"Nick" She replied.

"Put's predators and prey off, really great for breaking up fights. Apparently they made this stuff from big cat pheromones. If this were millions of years ago prey and predators wouldn't go near anything that smelled like this stuff. It works on an instinctual level."

"Okay, you can stop reading me the label." She groaned, but the fox continued.

"In fact, I really think you should start carrying it again." He laughed.

"OKAY, forget it." Judy huffed as she rolled down the window.

The drive in panel was quiet for a moment, and Nick and Judy shared a glance of uncertainty before Judy turned back to the speaker. Nick heard her breath in to speak, but she was suddenly cut off by the crackle of a loudspeaker.

"-oof's you're killing me, you know that?" The end of a conversation crackled through, startling the officers.

"Ahem, Welcome to Bug-Burga, home of the Bug-Burga, can I take your order." The male voice stated.

Again Judy looked to Nick, slight confusion on her face. Nick just shrugged.

"Order something." He whispered.

Judy turned back to the speaker. "Just give me a moment."

"Not a problem ma'am, take your time. I'm here all night." The voice was somewhat jovial.

Nick leaned over Judy's shoulder in order to get a look at the menu, as he scoured his eyes fell across something that made him salivate.

"What can you tell me about that Blueberrchino Frappe Blend?" Nick asked, he saw Judy smirk at the mention of blueberries. It was his only weakness, aside from Carrots, and she knew it.

"You want the corporate answer or the honest answer?" The voice asked.

Nick chuckled. "Now I'm curious, I kinda want to hear both."

He heard the voice laugh. "Welp, Corporate would say that these fantastic coffee flavored frozen beverages are delicious and nutritious. They are also in no way an attempt to compete with Snarlbucks despite the fact that it's a completely different kind of restaurant.

Nick and Judy both couldn't help but snicker at the honest remark.

"But my co-worker and I here have tried them, and I'd say they're pretty good." The voice concluded.

Judy looked at Nick uneasily at the mention of a 'co-worker'. Nick only nodded in response.

"Sounds good, I'll take Blueberrchino in a canid size." Nick pulled away from the driver’s side, settling back into his seat.

"And I'll take the carrot version please, also in a canid size." Judy added.

The electricity of the speaker hummed dully as the server went quiet, Nick could barely hear the low muttering of numbers being tallied.

"Okay, that's five eighty-six, please drive up to the window that fits your vehicle." The voice replied.

And with that the speaker audibly clicked off, leaving the two in silence. Nick watched as Judy shifted the clutch, and then placed both paws on the wheel. He waited for her to pull the cruiser forward, but she remained frozen. After a few moments of waiting for her to press on, he spoke up.

“Ahem.” He saw the rabbit flinch as he coughed. “It’s now or never Carrots.”

“Right, right.” Judy nodded, and slowly began to pull forward

As they pulled up to the window Nick could already make out the back of a wooly head, adorned with a very familiar poof at the top. The window slowly slid open, allowing the duo to catch the tail end of a conversation.

“-have this one Vernon. Don’t worry about it.” The lamb concluded.

The little mammal turned to the register, clearly having not noticed them yet.

“That will be five-“The sheep stopped as she turned to face them.

Nick watched as the color drained from the lamb’s face. Her eyes were wide in terror. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Bellwether was about three seconds away from fainting. Nick couldn’t see Judy’s reaction, but he imagined she wasn’t sporting quite as smug a grin as he was. Enjoying seeing the sheep so terrified may have been petty, but he was just fine with that.

As the awkward silence lingered, the lamb looked down and away from the two.

“F-f-five eighty-six.” He could barely hear her trembling voice.

He watched as Judy placed the money on the window sill. The lamb reluctantly took the money and processed it before turning back to the two. It was then she did something that sort of surprised him.

Bellwether took a deep breath. She balled her fists and stiffened up, seeming to steel herself. Continuing to avert her gaze, she spoke.  
“Well, go ahead.” She said softly.

Judy looked at Nick with confusion before turning back to the lamb.

“Say what you want to say to me. That’s why you’re here right?”

Judy remained silent, and Nick held his tongue despite wanting to crack a joke about how they had ‘only come for the tasty drinks’, but it was more important to him that Carrots got the first word.

“Go on, say it.” The lamb’s eyes were closed tightly. “I deserve whatever it is you have to say.”

He saw Judy’s body tense up, and heard her emit a deep and sorrowful sigh. 

“Dawn…” She finally spoke. The lamb shrunk at the sound of her name.

“You lied to me.” Judy’s voice was sullen. “You betrayed me.” He heard her swallow hard. “You tried to kill me and Nick.”

The lamb winced with each statement, as if reacting to invisible blows.

“You nearly destroyed Zootopia and hurt so many mammals and for what?” Judy’s voice began to rise. “ For power? For revenge?”

The lamb continued to look down.

"I know what the evidence showed in the courtroom, about Doug and the others. But that doesn't change what you did, and the reprehensible things you were responsible for." Judy growled.

"And to make me a part of it. To make me help your cause without knowing it..." Nick could see Judy trembling.

"I can NEVER forgive you for that!" Judy yelled, causing the ewe to wince again.

There was a pause, and he could hear Judy exhale hard.

"I'm came to Zootopia with my own demons and prejudices. But I overcame them." Judy's voice quavered. "I didn't let them devour me, like you."

The silence was deafening, and seemed to last an eternity. The entire time, the lamb hadn't looked up, much like a child being scolded. He could faintly make out sniffling, but he wasn't sure whether the source was Judy or Bellwether.

It was then a large form hove into view behind the lamb. Placing the drinks on the window sill, the large wolf put a paw on Dawn's shoulder.

"S'everything alright Dawn?" The wolf asked.

It was the first time Nick could see her face since the start of their 'transaction', the ewes eyes were swollen and thick with tears. She aggressively wiped her eyes, clearly trying to hide the signs of sobbing before turning to the wolf.

"E-Everything's fine V-Vernon." She tried to hide a sniffle.

The wolf handed the drinks forward, taking a good hard stare at the officers.

"Wait a minute. Aren't you two..." The realization on the wolf's face quickly turned to a sharp coldness. He turned back to the lamb, this time crouching down to her level.

"You sure you're alright Floof? You want 'em gone I ca-"

"Puppy, no please." The ewe weakly waived her hooves at him.

The wolf stood up, throwing a glare at Nick and Judy. He continued to glare as he spoke.

"Okay, well I'll be around if you need me. Don't hesitate to call Floofs." He pat her on the shoulder.

"Officers." The wolf nodded a goodnight to the pair, baring his teeth as he said it. He continued to stare at the officers as he drifted back behind the window until he was finally out of sight.

Again Nick thought of several joke he could make. Several about dumb wolves and hired henchdogs. The name 'Puppy' alone would give him endless material. But the fact that this altercation hadn't escalated so far made him reluctant to chance ruining it, as well as the fact that the wolf was frankly quite intimating. Nick considered that it was probably the largest wolf he'd seen, and he wasn't exactly looking to get into a dog fight tonight.

"You're right." Dawn sniffled.

"Well, I didn't see that coming." Nick couldn't help as the words came out.

Judy turned to give him a sharp glare.

"I could tell you all the reasons I did what I did." Dawn continued, wiping her eyes.  
"But it's all just excuses. At a certain point, you have to take responsibility for your own life and stop using what others did to you or how wronged you were to justify your actions." Dawn sighed.

The two cops were now listening intently to the ewe.

"I did some truly awful things, and I regret every bit of it. I know you probably won't believe me." The lamb paused to take a deep breath. "But I'm sorry."

"You're right, I don't believe you." Now it was Nick's turn to be shocked at Judy's bluntness. The lamb winced.

"That's fine." The lamb sniffled. " I really became a monster toward the end there." The lamb looked directly at Judy, her eye brimming with tears. 

"But if I had actually hurt you, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself." She sobbed.

Nick saw Vernon poke his head out from behind the window again to look at the two. He made a snarling gesture before disappearing again. Nick couldn't help but to be confused as to why this wolf, this predator, was seemingly so defensive of the lamb. Maybe he didn't know who she was.

"But I'm trying to change my life for the better now, and put that terrible time behind me." The lamb sniffled hard, chocking back a sob.

"I know I'll never make up for what I've done, but at least I have the chance to try." Bellwether reached behind the window to grab a tissue, and dabbed her eyes.

Judy looked to the fox again, her face seemingly sad this time. Nick released a light scoff in response. 'What, starting to feel sympathy for the devil?' He thought to himself.

"Well..." Judy muttered. "I've said all I've needed to say."

The lamb sniffled again. "So have I."

With that Judy powered the cruiser on again, and prepared to pull away from the window.

"Wait Judy!" Bellwether said, causing the rabbit to turn her attention.

Nick could see the ewe grab a napkin and scribble something on it. After seemingly finished, she handed it to Judy.

"I know you hate me, and were certainly not friends anymore. But..." The lamb twiddled her hooves.

"But if you ever need to reach me." She paused. "I mean, if there's more you need to say. Or if you want to keep an eye on me." She looked down in shame. "That's my number."

Judy tucked the napkin in her breast pocket.

"Goodnight Ms. Bellwether." Judy said coldly.

"Goodnight Officers." And with that, the began to pull away from the window.

As Nick looked back he could just make out the wolf coming back near the window, and saw the ewe bury herself in his arms. Clearly shuddering as she sobbed. The sight disappeared as the cruiser turned back onto the road.

Judy drove them about two or three blocks away before stopping the car on the side of the road. She let out a heavy sigh, and leaned over the steering wheel. 

"Feel better?" Nick asked quietly.

Judy turned to look at the fox, smiling weakly.

"I guess..." She mumbled.

"Don't tell me you feel bad Carrots." Nick laughed.

Judy let out a heavy exhale. "Is it bad that I do?"

Nick simply chuckled. "Judy, you are way too good for this world, I tell ya."

The rabbit smirked in response as she brought herself to sit back up. Nick grabbed his drink and stirred it with the straw.

"Well, now the Bellwether stuff is behind us, right Carrots?" He smiled hopefully.

"Yeah Nick, were done. I got what I wanted." She replied, grasping her own drink.

"A toast." Nick raised the foam container in the air. " To never having to deal with deranged sheep's with crazy night howler conspiracies again, huh?" He grinned smugly.

The rabbit chuckled, raising her own cup and tapping it against the foxes. "Agreed."

The two cops then proceeded to take a long sip of their respective drinks, stopping to smack their lips in unison.

"Hey, Puppy was right, this is pretty good." The two shared a snicker.


	8. Of Burning Homes

Things had only been growing better for Dawn despite her parole making the news in recent weeks. For one, the exposure had been brief, and where she lived and worked wasn't revealed in any of the coverage. The next day it was quickly pushed aside in favor of a massive police raid in Tundratown, and for that she was grateful. 

On top of that her bond with Vernon had grown significantly stronger, in part due to the discovery of their previous history. Every shift since the discovery had been spent catching up and rekindling what they had lost so long ago. It turned out the wolf and her were more alike than she realized, sharing a great deal of the same taste in film, books, and a variety other interests. There were times she even found the small fearful sheep part of her brain forgetting that it was supposed to be afraid of this big bad wolf. To her, he was simply her big friendly 'Puppy'.

The worst thing she could say that happened to her over the past few weeks was the surprise confrontation with Judy and Nick a few nights prior. It hurt a great deal to see her again, but another part of Dawn was happy. Despite knowing that there was nearly no chance of the two ever becoming friends again, at least she had gotten to tell her how she felt about everything. It was a weight off the lamb's shoulders, and she was certain it was a weight off Judy's as well.

It was because of these things Dawn found herself feeling in particularly high spirits as she chatted with Vernon that night. She felt as though she really had a shot at getting her life back on track, and holding on to that seemed to make her radiate with joy.

"Wait, you can't be serious!" Dawn said, half chuckling.

"From my maw to the gods ears, When me and Gus are on shift together we run a session." Vernon responded, raising his paw in a solemn swear.

"Battlefields and Beasts? You play B&B?" She was glowing.

"Yes ma'am, been doing it since high school. That's how I got interested in architecture, I used to design buildings and places for Gus' campaigns." The wolf scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Lamb shanks!" She said in awe. "I was in a B&B club in college! I loved it!" She beamed, eyes practically shining.

The wolf grinned widely. "No foolin'?"

"Pfft...I knew the spell pages like the back of my hoof." She waived her hoof dismissively.

Vernon rubbed her tuft of wool affectionately. "Well, looks like we'll have to add you to the sessions sometime soon. I'm sure Gus' would love a fifth."

"Five huh?" She asked.

"Just some other workers from the day shift. Sure they won't mind either. They could use some lessons from another seasoned veteran." The wolf chuckled.

Dawn clapped her hooves excitedly, earning a smile from the large wolf as he leaned against the nearby wall. After his chuckling subsided, he let out a prolonged yawn. Stretching one arm, he glanced over at the nearby register clock.

"Shoot it's nearly six, almost time to clock out Floofs." He said.

"Already?" She deflated.

"You sound disappointed." He chuckled.

"Well, it's just-" She was interrupted by the buzz of her ringtone as it warbled from her pocket. Picking it out, she turned it to see the face. The incoming call was from Don Polarski.

"That's odd." She muttered.

"What?" The wolf asked, his ears raised.

"It's my parole officer, I can't imagine why he'd be calling this early." She pressed the answer key and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked.

She could hear a great din on the other end of the line. Sirens blared, engines roared, and mammals could be heard yelling over each-other in panicked tones. Suddenly Don's voice cut through the noise.

"DAWN!?ARE YOU THERE!?! DAWN!?" He was shouting in an attempt to drown out the noise.

"Don! Is something wrong!? What happened?!?" Her grip tightened around her phone as tension ran through her.

"DAWN, YOU NEED TO COME BACK TO YOUR APARTMENT NOW!" The bear yelled.

"What!? What's wrong!?" She sputtered in confusion.

"THERE'S BEEN A FIRE!" Came the reply.

Dawn nearly dropped the phone in shock. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't quite come at first. She looked at up at Vernon, he hadn't quite heard what happened but he could clearly see she was distressed. His ears sagged and his eyes were fraught with worry.

"DAWN, YOU STILL THERE!?" The voice brought her out of her stupor.

"Y-yes, I am...I-." She sputtered. "I'll be right there!" And with that she hung up the phone, slipping it back into her pocket. It felt like the ground was whirling beneath her, as if it were all a bad dream.

"Dawn, what's going on?" Vernon asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I-I uh..." Dawn could barely form her words. "I need to get home right away. There's been a fire." She uttered in a daze.

"Teeth to tails Dawn!" The wolf put his paw to his head. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride. Let's go." The wolf said, turning to head toward the back room. 

"W-wait, Vernon! What about the restaurant?" Dawn shouted, coming back to her senses.

"It's only ten to six, the morning crew will be in soon! Gus'll understand! Now c'mon!" She heard the reply.

Dawn stood frozen, her feet wanted to move one way but her mind another. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Everything had been going so well, hadn't it? Her mind was going at a mile a minute until Vernon's voice rang out again.

"C'mon Floof's, We need to move!" He called from the back.

With that shout Dawn broke from her trance, and she ran as fast as her little legs could carry her to the back room.

It took less then twenty minutes to arrive at Seaside Towers, and as the two rounded the corner on Vernon's moped the horrific extent of the damage to the building came into view.

On the side Dawn could see, the grey stone exterior had become scarred with ash and soot. The charring traveled all the way up to the side of the building, nearly reaching the roof. As her eyes traveled down she could eventually see the source. The third floor from the bottom was warped and crackled, and every window had burst outward as if a violent blast had echoed through the interior. The apartment in the middle had been struck so bad that it's outer facade had fallen away, exposing the ruined contents for all to see. It had clearly originated there, that blackened chamber that was once the place she called home.

As the two pulled up to the front of the complex, they came upon the full frantic scene. Tenants sitting on the curb with blankets, weeping over their lost homes. Fire-fighters busily putting out the remaining embers, and cleaning away the ash. And the ZPD, taking statements and investigating the scene. As Dawn slowly climbed off the scooter, she could see the familiar white polar bear approach.

"DAWN! Dawn! I'm glad you were at work for this. I'm so sorry!" Don replied, concern in his voice.

"My apartment..." She muttered.

The bear looked at his feet. "Gone I'm afraid." He said with a sigh.

She could feel Vernon's paw on her shoulder, and she placed her hoof over it.

"It started there. ZPD thinks it was deliberate." Don said glumly.

"Deliberate?'" Vernon piped up. "How? Wasn't her address kept from the public?"

The bear shook his head. "I don't know, it wasn't publically listed. The only mammals that should have been aware would be those at City Hall, and the ZPD." He shrugged. "You didn't tell any angry mammals where you lived, did ya Dawn?"

Dawn looked at the bear with shock. "I-uh..."

She thought back, aside from the legal places, like the bank and post office. The only other mammals who knew were a handful of co-workers.

"No one who would do this." She mumbled.

"That's what I thought, that me-"

Don was interrupted by the shrill snarl of Edward Weaslow, who was now bounding toward the ewe. He had nearly made it to his target when a large, white paw grasped him. He wriggled like a fish trying to escape, obscenities spewing as he flailed.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU FILTHY GRASS GUZZLER! YOU RUINED MY BUILDING!" He snarled, still desperately trying to escape Don's clutches.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS WILL COST TO FIX!?! I'M GONNA BE IN DEBT UP TO MY EARS! ALL BECAUSE OF THIS BITCH!" He desperately reached her paws to grasp the ewe, who stepped back behind Vernon.

"Watch you mouth Eddy! There's no reason for that kind of language!" Don barked.

"OH RUT ME DON!" He stopped fighting, instead turning his tirade to the polar bear.

"AREN'T I GREAT!?! I DID A FAVOR FOR A FRIEND AND LOOK WHAT IT GOT ME! NEVER AGAIN! YOU HEAR!?! NEVER AGAIN!" The weasel pushed free of the large paw, but instead of trying to attack he stood stiffly. Stabbing a claw in the ewes direction, he growled.

"I better NEVER see you around here again after today lady. YOU GOT THAT?" He hissed at Dawn, causing her to duck behind Vernon. Vernon learned forward in an attempt to scare the weasel, but he had already turned to face Don.

"AND I'M DONE WITH YOU! CAPISCE?" His claw now pointed to Don. "We're MORE than even, in fact I better be getting A BIG RE-INBURSMENT from the Zootopian City Council FOR THIS MESS!" He was practically biting the air.

"We will see to it that you do Mr. Weaslow." An approaching ram interjected. His wool was grey, and his face was withered with age. His horns were large, and chipped in spots, but still whole. With him was a significantly younger Ibex, who sported horns which far outmatched the older ram. His coat was tan, and he was frantically scribbling in a notepad.

"You better!" The weasel huffed before turning away and walking toward the now ruined building.

"Ah Dawn, you remember Warden Mouflon from the parole board?" Don asked.

Oh she remembered him alright. Gavin Mouflon had a particularly stern countenance, which was strikingly similar to that of her own father. Of the few interactions Dawn had with the old ram they had been nothing short of terrifying. He exuded pure hatred whenever she had been around him, not just at her, but seemingly everyone and everything. Needless to say any meeting regarding her that he attended was severely uncomfortable. He was also the only mammal of the six on the parole board to vote against her release.

"I do." She said warily.

"I suppose this is quite a surprise." Mouflon responded.

"Yes actually." Dawn murmured.

The old ram turned to regard Don.

"Don was giving me a lift to work today when we had to take this intriguing little detour." He grumbled.

Dawn made her way out from behind Vernon, attempting to stand firm.

"I see." she responded.

"After we found out what happened I took it as my duty to try to pitch in and see what I could do to help." He stated. "After all, it was going to end up on my desk anyway." He grumbled.

The young Ibex coughed, bringing the old rams attention to him. Mouflon eyed him with agitation, before returning to a strained positive demeanor.

"Ah yes, where are my manners, this is Mr. Gabriel Steinbock. He's our prison criminologist, I called him in to aide with the ZPD investigation of this hate crime." He sneered.

"Hate crime?" Dawn asked.

"Well I can't imagine there would be any other reason for such a deliberate attack on Ms. Bellwether other than one motivated by hate." Mouflon said with a smirk. 

Dawn felt Vernon's body press against her back, and she swore she could hear the faintest growl.

"Yes, from what I've discerned the fire was definitely started with a makeshift incendiary device. Possibly a Molotov or something to that effect." The Ibex stated clinically. "It wasn't explosive, the windows on the floor blew out from back draft." He continued going over his notes.

"Please Gabriel, save your notes for the detective when he arrives." Gavin shooed the ibex.

"Eh, in the meantime Dawn." Don interjected. You may want to head upstairs, They managed to recover some clothes and belongings you might be able to salvage.

Dawn looked to Vernon who was still glaring at the older ram. He broke it to look down at her sympathetically. 

"Would you h-" 

"You don't even have to ask." Vernon replied.

"Forgive me for asking Dawn." Don interrupted. "But I don't believe I've met your friend here." He motioned to Vernon.

"Oh, this is Vernon Hunter, he's my friend and co-worker." She gestured to the wolf as he leaned in to shake paws with the bear.

"Well, mighty fine, MITE-E-FINE!" The bear grinned broadly. "Good to see Dawn made some friends! Especially a wolf of all mammals. I'm sure as shootin' impressed." He laughed as the two shook paws.

"Write that name down Gabriel." The older ram muttered. "He could be a possible suspect."

"What did y-"

"Excuse me!?" Dawn cut Vernon off, irritation in her voice.

The old ram stared at her with a bored expression. " A wolf, the number one natural predator of all sheep, friends with the sheep who tried to kill all predators. I find the notion rather dubious." He chuckled.

The ewe marched up to the old ram, now stabbing a finger at him. He remained unfazed.

"Vernon would NEVER do something like that!" She snarled. "Even so, we were at work together when this happened."

"An accomplice then." He smirked in response.

Dawn tromped back over to Vernon, anger burning in her eyes. "C'mon Pup-" She stopped herself. "Vernon, let's go."

As the two made their way to the building entrance, Mouflon uttered a few more choice words.

"Be careful Ms. Bellwether, trusting the wrong mammal could end in disaster for you." He sneered. Dawn ignored his remark, and the two headed upstairs.

A few scraps of clothes, and some small personal effects were all that remained of Dawn's belongings. It was an awful ruin, but the ewe could at least take comfort in the fact that the apartments contents had only been a third of her belongings. She still had extra clothes and furniture in storage. It was a sort of silver lining to the devastation.

Unfortunately, that silver lining was quickly forgotten as the duo made their way back outside with Dawn's meager effects to discover a particularly familiar looking fox talking to Polaraski.

"Ah Dawn, I er..." Don looked uncomfortable, and the lamb shared his sentiment.

"You remember detective Wilde?" He mumbled.

"Howdy Puff-Puff." The fox cop gave his familiar smug grin. 

Again, Dawn could feel the wolf pressed against her back, low growling emanating from his chest. Don pulled uncomfortably at his uniform.

"I know." Don sighed. "I know about the history between you both."

"Yeah, some history huh?" Nick chuckled. The bear looked at the fox with a nervous glance.

"But he's the best detective the ZPD has to offer. Mouflon picked him specifically." Don said, his voice quavered.

"Yeah, I'd say he hates you." Nick cackled.

"You can't be serious!" Vernon suddenly spoke. "This is one of the cops that put her away! You can't expect him to be unbiased whe-" The fox rose a hand to silence him.

"Relax Puppy." He sniggered. "I may not have a great history with your little handler, but I take my job seriously. I will solve this case regardless of my feelings for the victim, or lack there-of." He nodded.

"DON'T CALL ME PUPPY RED!" The wolf snarled, but Dawn waived her hooves in an effort to calm him.

"Don, where is-" Dawn was interrupted.

"He already left, even so..." The bear's irises darted around from side to side. "I already argued about using Detective Wilde, but he refused to listen." The bear lowered his head, shaking it in shame.

The fox now made his way past the wolf and lamb, heading toward the apartment building.

"Just be happy Carrot's is sick today. Otherwise this would be super awkward huh?" He laughed as he passed. Dawn grabbed Vernon to stop him from chasing the fox. Still Vernon snarled as Nick disappeared into the structure.

"C'mon Puppy, let's just go." The wolf's anger dropped, and he sadly looked at the ewe. his ears drooped as he slowly nodded in agreement.

As the two made their way back to the moped, Don called out to the pair.

"Wait! Dawn!" He jogged over. The wolf was already on the bike as the bear approached Dawn.

"We haven't even discussed where you'll be staying!" He stated.

"Oh mutton chops, you're right. I hadn't ev-"

"She'll stay with me." The wolf replied without turning.

Dawn was shocked, she turned to Vernon in disbelief.

"V-Vernon." She stuttered. "You can't, I mean, we can't..." She still couldn't process what he had said.

"I mean I'm a sheep and you're...other mammals will thi-" The wolf turned to her, smiling softly.

"Eh, who cares what they think, I can't possibly leave my best friend out in the lurch like that now can I?"

Dawn smiled, 'his best friend' she thought as warmth began to fill her cheeks. She pushed the feeling down though as her rational thoughts continued to nag at her.

"But Vernon-"

"No buts, I got the room. Now don't fret." He said turning back to the road and starting the bike.

The bear wiped his brow, looking amazingly relieved.

"Sir, you just made my job a hell of a lot easer. I'd say this fella's a keeper Dawn." The bear joked.

Dawn blushed and buried her face in Vernon's back. 'what was that supposed to mean?' Dawn turned the thought over in her mind.

"Welp, I won't keep you. Dawn call me when you get settled in." Don said. "You two try to have a good rest of the day alright."

"Goodbye Don." Dawn said absentmindedly, still distracted by the previous statement. And with that, the two pulled away from the devastated scene.

It hadn't taken long to arrive at the large Lowland Drive apartment complex. Unlike Seaside, the Shutterbuck Estates were a series of four smaller buildings, each seemingly styled after small, jutting rock faces. Some of which had large balconies dotted with trees and flowers of various kinds. It also looked as though it was better kept, and at least a little more expensive than Seaside had been. Each building was toned in a different grey-ish hue. One green-ish grey, one red-ish grey, one blue-ish grey, and a simple standard grey one. In between the four structures laid a small park and playground, where Dawn could see a few small mammals playing.

As the moped pulled into a parking space on the street, Vernon piped up.

"Welp, here we are, home sweet home." He said, removing his helmet and breathing deeply.

"Are we still in Savannah?" Dawn queried.

"Technically this is the rainforest district, just barely. Certainly cheaper the Savannah Central, I can tell you that. Probably cause we get a lot of the lingering rain." He chuckled, offering a paw to the ewe to help her off the moped. Dawn slowly took the paw and hopped down with ease. Vernon then grabbed the box of belongings on the moped's back, and began to walk toward the complex.

"I'm in the green one. Hasn't got much of a view, but it's a nice place." As he continued to walk forward Dawn stayed frozen in place. He was a good few yards away before he must of noticed her straying.

"Hey Dawn?" He muttered, grabbing her attention again. "It's fine here, it's a predator and prey complex. Mostly prey, nothing to fear." He stated.

Dawn shook her head before running to catch up to Vernon. As they walked together she spoke.

"It's not that, I just..." She muttered.

"Hmm?"

"I'm still kind of in shock, you know." Dawn said blankly.

"that's understandable, it's been one hell of a day." Vernon nodded.

Dawn scurried ahead to open the double doors to the building, earning a nod and a thank you from the wolf as he passed inside. She followed closely behind, eyeing the surprisingly well furnished lobby. As the pair continued toward the elevator, Dawn spotted a particularly smaller mammal passing the other way wheeling several large replacement fixtures on a dolly.

"Mr Otterly, how you doing sir?" Vernon spoke.

The cart stopped, and from behind it a diminutive otter sporting large glasses appeared. He was dressed in a grey worker's jumpsuit, and had a coif of hair sticking up on his head. While he sported tired eyes, clearly from a rough nights sleep, his tone was jovial as he looked up to regard Vernon.

"Vernon, please call me Marty." The otter flashed his tiny sharp teeth. "How you doing lad, all's well I hope?" He asked.

"Just moving a friend in with me, I hope you don't mind. Her place burned down this morning." The wolf shrugged his shoulders toward the ewe.

Otterly's eyes followed the motion as he started to speak. " Not 'tat all boyo. Your a good fella helpin' out a-" As his eyes fell on Bellwether, they went wide in fear.

"SHELLS PRESERVE US!! Vernon me boy! Don't you know who that is!?" The otter shouted.

The wolf nodded as the sheep went to scurry behind him. "Yes'sir that's D-"

"DAWN BELLWETHER!" The otter feigned a spit at the ground. "Vernon, ya can't be-"

"I am, she's an old friend. And she's turning her life around. She needs my help Marty." The wolf said bluntly.

"Vernon!" The otter removed a napkin from his pocket, dabbing his brow. "I-I-." He sputtered. "She can't stay here son!" The little otter flailed his arms in Dawn's direction, and she in turn buried herself into Vernon's side.

"Mr. Otterly, I can vouch for her character. She's a reformed lamb." Vernon responded, confidence in his voice.

The otter dabbed his brow again, then began to nervously twiddle his claws.

"Vernon." He sighed. "The other tenants are gonna give me hell if I let this happen! I can't-."

"You trust me right?" Vernon replied.

The otter stamped a foot down and pointed at the wolf. "Don't ya pull the-" the little otter suddenly deflated. Letting out a heavy sigh, he placed a paw to his temple.

"Of course I trust ya Vern, I always..." He mumbled, trailing off before suddenly snapping his head up to look at the wolf, eyes weary.

"I got so much on me plate right now boyo. The misses has pups coming in a few months, and I'm falling behind on repairs, and the last thing I need is the tenants complainin' to me that she's staying here!" He said.

"Congratulations." Dawn said meekly.

The otter simply sighed in response.

"Hey, any complaints and you tell them to take it up with me okay?" Vernon asked, re-adjusting the box he was holding. The otter looked at him with resignation. Sighing deeply he walked back behind his cart.

"Alright, I'll hold ya to it son." He began to push the cart until he was aligned with the partially hidden ewe. 

"Welcome to the Shutterbuck Estates Ms. Bellwether." He smiled weakly. 

The lamb watched as the little otter continued to push the cart toward the door. Stopping just short of the entrance he turned to Vernon on last time.

"Don't forget, rent's early next month cause the first is on a Sunday." He yelled.

"No problem Marty." Vernon responded, giving a waive.

With the otter out of sight, the two continued their way toward the elevator. As Vernon hit the call button Dawn was busy thinking of all the reasons why staying together was a bad idea. The species difference, the social implications, and more importantly how who she was would affect Vernon. All of these reasons were playing through her head on loop as they entered the elevator and began their ride to the fourth floor. She couldn't figure out which one to say first, but Vernon didn't give her the chance to.

"Don't worry about the landlord. He's pretty easy-going, just very expressive." He chuckled.

"Yo-you." She muttered. "You still don't have to do this for me Pup-"

The wolf simply held a paw down in front of her muzzle. "Now Dawn, I won't hear it. I told ya your staying with me. I don't care about the consequences."  
Vernon had read her mind, albeit vaguely, but she still didn't think Vernon quite grasped the seriousness of this situation. Being associated with the infamous Dawn Bellwether would probably ruin everything he'd built for himself. That she was certain of, but he wouldn't hear of it.

She continued to try to convince him as they made their way to the fourth floor, and eventually in front of a door with the number four o' five.

"Now Dawn, stop fretting about me." He turned the key and unlocked the door. "I'm a big wolf, I'll be fine." 

With a gentle push the wolf entered through the doorway, promptly placing the box on a nearby counter. He turned back to Dawn, waiving his arm slowly out across the room.

"Now, welcome to casa de Puppy."

As Dawn entered the first thing that she noticed was just how much larger the place was than her previous home. The combined kitchen and living room she was standing in could easily fit two of her old apartment inside. Of course the space was made even more apparent by the sparse amount of furnishing the wolf seemed to have. The living room section was relegated to a simple brown couch, a flat screen, and an old looking coffee table. There were a few stray movie posters, and a Vangoat painting, but little else adorning the walls. The kitchen area had a breakfast bar with stools to make up for the lack of a dining table, and the appliances had all the modern comforts of the last ten years. All of this was illuminated by the large windows facing out toward the greater Rain Forest District, which just seemed like a massive wall of green from this angle. The sunlight peering through the open shades across the various surfaces made Dawn aware of how surprisingly clean the apartment was. 

"I know there isn't too much going on in the living room, but I'm more of an outside designer." Vernon remarked. "Even so, most of my cash goes to rent and tuition, so I can only spruce this place up so much."

"It's very clean." Dawn uttered.

Vernon chuckled. "Well, I honestly don't spend a lot of time in this place other than sleeping. So I don't get to much of a chance to dirty the place up." He smirked. "Not that I would, I tend to try to keep my spaces as clean as I can. Growing up with six brothers will either make you a very messy mammal, or a very clean one."

The wolf walked over to the nearby hall entrance. "C'mon, let me show you the other rooms." He again guided the ewe with his arm. Dawn approached and peered into the first doorway the wolf pointed out.

"That's the bathroom." He stated as her eyes fell across the sand colored tiles of the room. It had all the basics, a sink, a toilet, and a combination shower/fur dryer stall. She also noticed a small alcove with a washer and dryer. In Seaside she had been forced to use a communal Laundromat, which required her to carry a load of wash up five flights of stairs to reach. She also had to carefully time it so she wouldn't run into any neighbors while doing the wash, or risk being harassed. The thought of not having to worry about that anymore was a definite boon to moving in.

"Over here is the office. This will be your room once we move the computer to the living room. I hope it isn't too small." Vernon commented, now pointing at the adjacent door.

The office was small, but more than large enough for her. The room was stark save for the computer desk and a corner lamp. It appeared that Vernon had a hard time filling the space.

"I...I uh, It should be fine bu-" 

"Great!" Vernon cut her off. "Lastly, over here is my room." He concluded, walking them over to the door at the end of the small hallway.

The bedroom was also bathed in the sunlight from the massive windows on the side wall. It glimmered off the older wood dressers and tables, clearly hand me downs from family. In the center however, was an immaculate looking bed. It was oddly circular, and the edging toward the top sported a fake rock face. The sheets and blankets were a green reminiscent of alpine forests.

"That bed's probably the most expensive thing in the place." Vernon smirked. "Certainly the only new thing." He muttered.

"Why is it round?" Dawn asked.

"It's supposed to be more comfortable for Canids, allowing us to sort of curl up more naturally like the wolves of the past did. Supposed to help with sleep." Vernon stretched his arm and released a comfortable sigh. "And I'd say by experience it does so in spades."

"Oh my, did you have trouble sleeping?" She asked.

The wolf chuckled. "Yes ma'am, and I was pretty grumpy back then."

"You? Grumpy?" She said with amused surprise.

"What can I say? Puppy needs his beauty sleep." The wolf chuckled.

Vernon ran a paw over his tuft of hair, scratching the back of his head as he continued to look into the bedroom.

"So for now, you'll be sleeping in my bed." Vernon stated.

The ewe felt a sudden flush fill her cheeks in shock. She quickly buried her face in her hands to hide it, glancing up to see if the wolf had noticed. Thankfully he was still staring into the bedroom.

"I'll be on the couch till we can get you set up." Vernon added.

Dawn's flush receded, and she sighed with relief as she looked back up at the wolf. Vernon looked down to her with a soft smile, clearly unaware of the ewe's mini panic attack.

"Sound good?" He asked.

"Vernon..." Dawn twisted her foot awkwardly.

"Dawn." He replied flatly, his tone clearly indicating he was predicting her protest.

"Vernon, this is so nice, all of it. I appreciate it so much." She grabbed his paw and patted it. The wolf's tail began to wag.

"But it's probably better if I don't stay here." The wagging stopped.

"I mean, I don't want anything you've done, or are doing to be threatened because of me. I mean, I'm Zootopia's most hat-"

"Dawn, look." The wolf sighed. "I'm not going to argue with you." He paused, turning to look back at his bedroom.

"If you don't want to stay then that's fine, but don't leave because you are worried about how things are gonna be for me." The wolf frowned.

"I'll be fine, if anything..." He turned and weakly smiled at her. "The prospect of living with my best friend sounded like a lot of fun."

Dawn frowned in turn as the wolf continued. "But I won't stop you from going to stay at a hotel some place. It's your call." The wolf's head was hanging in disappointment, but slowly he rose to meet the lamb's eyes. Dawn could see his eyes were filled with sadness.

"But I'd love it if you'd at least give it a shot Floofs. I'd feel a heck of a lot better knowing you safe here instead of some dingy roach motel." 

The lamb was left immobile by the terribly sorrowful eyes the wolf was giving her. It was absolutely heart wrenching, and all of her resistance seemed to melt away under it. Before she could think better of it she found the words slipping out.

"Okay, okay, I'll give it a chance. Just stop with the eyes, it's too much!" She held her hooves out to stave off the wolf's expression. Vernon quickly stood up, tail wagging briskly in excitement. He clapped his paws together loudly.

"Great!" He said gleefully, scooping Dawn quickly into a full on hug. Dawn could barely breath under the wolf's tight embrace. It was clear he was putting all of his feeling into it.

"V-vernon" She coughed.

The wolf quickly put her down and drew back, clearly afraid he hurt the lamb. "S-sorry Floofs." He stuttered, again running a paw through his tuft nervously.

Dawn simply giggled in response before letting out a tired yawn.

"Tired huh Floofs?" The wolf asked.

"It's been an awful day." She muttered, looking down.

"But it's gotten a lot better." She turned back up to smile at Vernon, who's tail wagged in response. "Still, it's been pretty draining."

The wolf nodded, a yawn escaping his muzzle as well before gesturing to the bedroom. "Why don't you get yourself settled in. Get changed and comfortable." The wolf said.

Vernon walked his way back over to the counter and grabbed the box of Dawn's belongings. Bringing it over, he handed it off to the ewe.

"Um...O-okay." She stuttered, grabbing the large box as best she could.

"I'll be setting up the couch for myself if you need anything." Vernon pointed his thumb back toward the living room. 

"Sleep well Floofs." Giving the ewe a final friendly pat on her wool tuft, the wolf headed out into the living room and disappeared behind the halls edge, leaving the lamb to reluctantly bed down.

After changing into one of her few surviving night gowns, and scuttling on to the massive bed Dawn did her best to get comfortable. It didn't take long. Vernon had been right about the quality of the mattress, it felt like a cloud. As the ewe bunched up the blanket around herself she became acutely aware of a pleasant aroma. As she brought a section of blanket up to her nose to root out the scent, the more concentrated whiff caused her to recognize the odor. The scent of the earth after a rain storm, Vernon's scent. She closed her eyes, a smile crawling across her muzzle as she inhaled deeply. As a comfortable and contented sigh escaped her lips, her eyes flew open.

'What is wrong with me?' She thought to herself, turning on her back and staring at the ceiling. She twiddled her hooves together under the covers. She found herself thinking back to Don's 'keeper' comment. Surely Don hadn't meant anything by it, but why was the first thing she thought was that he was implying they were mates instead of friends? Worse, why when Vernon had mentioned sleeping in his bed did a part of her feel slightly disappointed at finding out they weren't going to be sharing it. Why was Vernon making her feel so weird? 

She briskly shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts she wasn't quite ready to confront yet. Turning back to her side, she pulled the covers up close to her. Shutting her eyes tightly she did her best to drive away her confusing thoughts. Her body was tense, as if trying to keep such notions walled away. But with each inhale a whiff of the wolf weakened her resolve, her grip loosened, and eventually she drifted off to sleep content in the earthly scent.


	9. Living with a Lamb

The first scent to assuage Vernon's nostrils was the pungent smell of percolated caffeine. Blearily, one eye shot open, narrowing on his bedroom door. With a groan, he pushed himself off his bed with one arm, sliding to the edge. Vernon wiped his eyes and let out a yawn, mentally preparing himself to make that final push off the bedside. He brought his feet to the floor softly, and with a grunt he shakily rose to a standing position. Another yawn and he began an involuntary shuffle toward the kitchen. He trudged forward, the delicious aroma leading him by the nose down the hallway.

Finally arriving in the kitchen he could see the source of the intoxicating scent, as well as the little ewe standing on the stool and putting the finishing touches on their respected brews. She was still in her night gown, and he was at the perfect angle to catch her raised rump bent in the air as she fiddled with the percolator. Her stubby tail waiving as she hummed and fixed the drinks. Vernon caught himself staring and quickly turned away, blushing in shame for leering at the little ewe.

"Ahem." He coughed awkwardly, causing the ewe to turn around.

"Oh, good afternoon Puppy!" She said joyfully. "I've got your coffee here, two sugars." She nodded reassuringly, sliding a coffee mug over to the stool next to her and sitting down. After taking a moment to scratch herself, the lamb patted the adjacent stool, giving Vernon a comforting smile.

Vernon in turn, moseyed his way over to the seat and sat next to Dawn. The ewe grinned expectantly at him as he took a sip of his drink. A grin crept it's way across his muzzle as he relished in the flavor.

"Less than a month here, and you make my coffee better than I do." He joked. The lamb simply beamed in response. As he took another sip, he began to reflect on just how the last few weeks of living with Floofy had gone.

It still surprised Vernon how quickly the two had adjusted to life as room mates. It had only been about three and a half weeks since the apartment fire. But to Vernon it felt like they'd been living together for years. Their various habits and idiosyncrasies managed to match up almost perfectly, causing very little instances of friction between the two. The best part, at least in the wolf's eyes, was being able to pick up wherever they left off at work when they got home. Whether it was an engaging conversation, a spirited game, or whatever, the entertainment could continue when they got back to the apartment.

But there was so much more. They read together, had movie nights, and even went out to eat from time to time. Albeit Dawn was quite insistent on disguising herself heavily before doing anything outdoors, despite Vernon's protest. They had even gotten to the point where they could nearly read each others minds.

"Turf tart?" Dawn asked, snapping the wolf out of his quiet reflection. The ewe held a greenish tinted breakfast pastry toward Vernon.

The wolf scrunched his nose up at the food. "Eh, no thanks Floof, I'll stick with the-"

"Lucky Chomps?" She said, sliding the already poured bowl over to him. He hadn't noticed it earlier, and simply chuckled.

"I guess I'm getting predictable huh?" He smiled, taking a spoonful of the cereal.

The lamb grinned, idly scratching herself again before taking another bite of her pastry. 

Moving the ewe in had been easy, as she brought very little. But what she had brought managed to fill out the barren sections of the apartment nicely. The style clashed a bit, but made the place feel more lived in, and it made Vernon enjoy being at home far more often. 

Vernon had a long history of living with others. Starting with being forced to share a space with six rowdy pups, and eventually rooming with Gus. But each previous experience was laden with more negatives than positives. Sharing a room with six growing pups offered no privacy, and no silence. This was of course not a problem with Dawn, who was so quiet that sometimes the wolf would forget she was home. And despite the long friendship with Gus, living with him was more of a strain than anything else. Gus had been very quick to establish very complex apartment rules, and tended to be quite a nag if you failed to keep up with them. Not to mention the goat had a plethora of allergy and humidity machines that made rooming next to him sound more like rooming next to a subway station. Again, Dawn was the opposite. Both of them doing whatever happened to need doing in the apartment without asking or forcing the other to do it. Needless to say, Vernon was thrilled that living with Dawn had turned out to be as enjoyable as predicted.

But that didn't mean everything was perfect. Vernon could sometimes feel a tension or reluctance from the ewe. Sometimes she wouldn't look him in the eye, or be hesitant to touch him. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Perhaps she was still somewhat afraid of the wolf. It wasn't a hard notion to understand, that fear is sort of ingrained in most sheep. Or perhaps she still felt like she was going to ruin his life somehow, which he adamantly refuted. Either way, he was certain with time that problem would pass.

What troubled him more was the strange scent he had been picking up around the ewe more recently, and what it was doing to him. He surmised it was some sort of new perfume, or something to that effect. But lately whenever he found himself near the lamb, he would catch a whiff of a flowery and fruity scent made his blood boil. He had already been having thoughts about Dawn that he found to be very inappropriate, but the odd scent seemed to compound them further. Needless to say, the lingering stare at her rump this morning was not the first, nor would probably be the last time to wolf would feel hot and bothered around Dawn.

"So what's going on today Puppy?" She asked, having finished her pastry.

"Lessee'" The wolf glanced at the digital clock on the stove which read four fifty-eight. "Welp, I've got a night class at eight." He took another sip of his coffee and sighed.

"Then we go on shift at ten, as per usual. So I've got probably about two hours to loaf around before I have to do anything." He smirked.

The wolf could sense the lamb shift uncomfortably next to him, most likely due to more wolf jitters.

"I'll be back in time to pick you up for work, so no worries there." He reassured her.

"Oh erm...I-it's not that." She muttered.

The wolf turned to look at her, curious.

"What's up Floof?" He queried.

"Well..." She twiddled the hooves, keeping her eyes to the floor. "It's getting close to summer now." She scratched her chest in clear discomfort.

"Ugh, don't remind me." The wolf muttered, taking a swig of his drink.

"Yeah." She mumbled. "Well...around this time my wool tends to come in kind of thick." She scratched again.

"Ah, so that's why you've been scratching so much." Vernon briskly scratched her hair poof.

"Yeah." She began to swing her legs idly on the stool. "I usually shear myself around this time." She looked up at the wolf, visibly distressed.

Now Vernon was concerned. He placed a paw on her leg. "Hey Floofs, what's the problem?"

She looked away quickly, rubbing her arm in embarrassment.

"I had this great shaving kit I used to use back at my apartment, but it went up with the place. So now I only have a really basic set of shears." Her voice quavered.

"And...?" Vernon pressed, unsure as to what she was getting at.

"Well, It can do the job just fine but..." She tapped her hooves nervously. "I-I, can't reach my back with them." She stuttered.

The wolf retracted his paw, still somewhat confused with what she was getting at.

"V-vernon, I really hate to ask this but.." She shuddered. "would you help me o-out?"

The wolf simply smirked. "S'that all? I can do that no problem. Not like I ain't helped out a few of my woolly friends with a spot shear before." Vernon finished his drink.

The lamb seemed somewhat relieved by his answer, clapping her hooves together.

"Oh thank you so much Vernon! I didn't want to ask something so personal but my new set has been taking forever to get here and I've been itching like crazy." She pantomimed vigorous scratching.

"Didn't realize it was so 'personal'." He said, getting up from his stool. "Like I said, I've helped some friends before. When I was rooming with Gus he broke his arm and I had to shear his back once, so it's not a big deal."

The ewe slid off her stool, and started for her room. "Well It's just that, I-I uh..." She stopped walking, rubbing her arm again. "I'll won't be wearing a top." She mumbled, her voice nearly inaudible.

Vernon felt his heart leap into his throat and grasped his muzzle in response, as if he were trying to keep it from escaping.

"I mean the strap would get in the way." She quickly chimed in. "But you won't see anything anyway, the wools grown in on the front so everything's covered." She sputtered out.

His thumping heart eased slightly. "O-oh ahem." The wolf coughed to cover his cracking voice. "Yeah, that's fine. Totally fine. Great. Yep fine." He rambled off.

Dawn turned back to Vernon, causing him to quickly turn away in an effort to hide the growing blush beneath his fur.

"Wait here for a few moments, okay?" She said awkwardly.

And with that, she disappeared into her bedroom.

Vernon stood there awkwardly. The situation had become very odd, very quickly. And for some reason he found himself shaking like a leaf at the mere thought of helping with this simple task.

"Get a hold of yourself Vern, she's your friend." He mumbled to himself quietly. "It's no big deal." Vernon was not the type to find sheep attractive in any way. He had been around sheep folk his whole life but had never thought of such a thing. He had always been attracted to she wolves. And yet this whole notion of Dawn's exposed form was making him shiver like catching the smirk of a gorgeous wolfess. 

"It's just the awkwardness of the situation, that's all." He thought to himself. "Nothin' more, nothin' less."

"O-okay, I'm ready." He heard Dawn call.

Gulping audibly, the wolf reluctantly entered to see the woolly back of the ewe facing him as Dawn sat on her bed. With what seemed like agonizing slowness the wolf made his way across the room. His breath was hitched, and the silence pervading the space was deafening. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity to the wolf, he made it to the bed side. Taking position behind the ewe, all the wolf could hear was his own heart beat. He could feel sweat brimming to the surface of his skin as he continued to stare at her back.

"T-the...um." She stuttered. "The shears should be right next to you."

It was at that moment he realized he had completely forgotten why he came in there. Dawn's comment had pulled him back to reality. He grasped for the electric shearer, fumbling with it a few times before getting a proper grip.

"A-any preference on where to start or...?" He trailed off.

"A-Anywhere is f-fine." The ewe was stumbling on her words. Clearly this was an embarrassing experience for her.

The wolf inspected the shears, feeling around dumbly for the on switch. Eventually his pads ran across the raised toggle after tracing around the device several times. With a simple press, the electric shears noisily hummed to life. the ewe flinched sharply at the sudden noise.

"S-sorry...it um." she mumbled. "Startled me."

The wolf let out a heavy sigh, and carefully brought the buzzing shear to the nape of her neck. As it touched the surface and lopped off a particularly fuzzy clump, the lamb visibly shuddered causing the wolf to swallow hard. With the second gingerly swipe, the familiar flowery smell seemed to return, causing the wolves heart to clench in terror.

"No, no, not now. Please not now." He thought to himself as his paw holding the shaver began to tremble. "Focus on something, something other than Dawn." A third clump of wool was free, and he was beginning to see the smooth pinkish skin underneath. 

"Make conversation, something!" His mind screamed as his tongue glided across his lips in hunger. "It's just getting worse!"

"So u-um." Dawn broke the silence. "I heard some howling in the building last night. B-but not from your room." She hesitated. "I was wondering..."

"Why didn't I howl?" The wolf regained some of his focus.

He saw the lamb briskly nod. "I mean, I don't want to offend, I just hear-"

"Yeah, that wolves can't resist a good howl." He chuckled lightly. Sighing, his paw seemed to steady as he continued to shear the ewe.

"I'm not offended Floofs. It takes a lot of effort actually to resist the urge when something like that happens. But it's not impossible." Vernon shrugged, continuing to shear down the lambs back.

"I think it's kind of a left over from ancient wolves, so I'm not fully sure what it's full purpose was then. But these days it's sort of like a solidarity thing. Wolves these days tend to howl when feeling a strong emotion, like joy, fear, sadness or something like that. When another wolf hears the call, they get the urge to call back to them." He mused.

"Oh." The ewe seemed to shudder again.

"It can be useful though, wolves can generally tell by the call what the howler is feeling. And if they needed help they could go and help them out I suppose. A good howl can ring out as far as three miles, or so I've heard." Vernon concluded.

"B-but, why don't you do it?" Dawn asked.

Vernon sighed heavily as he made another pass at her shoulders. "Honestly, it's embarrassing. Mammals see a wolf howling and think they're just big dumb dogs with no self control. So I work really hard to suppress it." Vernon shrugged again.

The two were quiet as Vernon continued his work. Dawn's shoulders were now fully exposed, and he was working the shear down her back. The wolf did his best to keep his eyes averted from the supple flesh.

"D-do um...?" Dawn seemed to pause. "Do wolves howl when they are with their mate?" Vernon could barely hear her mumble over the buzzer, but upon realization his blush returned.

"Well, when I had one...I err. That only tended to happen when we were..." The wolf shifted uncomfortably. "intimate." Vernon as starting to feel uncomfortably hot.

"Oh." Was dawn's simple response.

There was a lingering silence as the wolf cleared the upper area of her back. Vernon's focus was slipping, and his paw was beginning to tremble again as he looked at the ewes glistening pink skin. 

"Hmm." Dawn broke the awkward silence. "I'm kind of surprised you don't have a mate." She stated.

"Well, I kind of stopped for a while a when I started school. I don't really get on with the ladies to be honest, so I figured I'd just focus on work." The wolf shrugged.

"Oh." The lambs tone sounded deflated. "I u-uh, didn't know you were..." 

It took a moment for Vernon to catch on to what she was implying. He immediately leapt to defend himself.

"Whoa now, I'm not good with the ladies, I never said I wasn't into them." He chuckled. "That would be my brother Xavier. His boyfriend is nice though, damn fine cook too."

The ewe giggled. "I'm sorry, Its just still so surprising that a nice wolf like you doesn't have anyone."

"Pfft." The wolf grunted. "I get that enough from my parents, they want grand pups desperately, and they've pretty much only got three shots left at that." 

"What? Why?" Dawn shuddered as Vernon buzzed free some more fluff.

"Welp, four of my brothers are in relationships that ain't fit for bearing pups. Zachary is with a tigress, Yuri is with a hyena, Trenton is with an arctic fox, and then there's Xavier, the only one with another wolf, but they are both fellas."

"Y-your family..." Dawn stuttered. "Seem to like t-to date out of their species huh?"

Vernon suddenly felt very uncomfortable, the sweet scent had returned full force and the topic continued to make the problem worse. Vernon coughed awkwardly, he was nearly done with the shearing and desperately wanted to flee.

"Well...erm." Vernon sputtered. "Well, I've mostly stuck to wolves myself. But there's nothing wrong with that. The heart wants what it wants as my ma would say." 

"Oh..." The lamb sounded disappointed.

Vernon buzzed the last of the wool free, exposing Dawn's now smooth back to the open air.

"There we are!" Vernon said, scrambling off the bed quickly, and standing up. "You are all set Dawn."

The lamb didn't speak for a moment, then suddenly piped up as if coming out of a daze. "Oh! Oh thank you so much Puppy, this feels so much better!" She chirped. Her back had been glistening with sweat from the heat, and she suddenly shimmied her body most likely to shake off any excess wool. The wolf averted his gaze as he quickly backed out of the room.

"Hey not a problem!" The wolf awkwardly barked, grasping the door frame in desperation. "Welp, I'll leave you to it!" He said abruptly before taking off back into the living room, leaving the lamb alone. He bolted across the room, darting to the nearby computer chair and collapsing into it. Throwing his head back, he let a deep and mournful sigh escape his muzzle.

"Gods be damned, what the hell is wrong with me." He thought to himself, bringing a paw to cover his face.

"Gotta be my season or something...or hers. Can't be anything else." He mumbled, slumping his head back down. For a while he simply stared at the adjacent computer screen, watching the cartoonish screensaver play absentmindedly before the filthy thoughts returned. "I wonder what she looks like completely..." The wolf shook his head violently at the thought. "Vernon, stop this now!" he mentally scolded himself.

He continued to stare at the monitor as another lurid idea passed through his head. "Well..." he reasoned. "It wouldn't really hurt to get an idea." With that, the wolf slowly grabbed the mouse and began to move it.

Bringing up the Zoogle home page, he quickly looked over his shoulder to re-affirm he was alone. With the coast clear, he cautiously typed in his search.

"Sheared Ewes." Slowly filled in the search bar, and the mouse shakily made it's way to the search button. With an awkward double click the browser was off and running, and in an instant it had turned up thousands of results.

The wolf eyed the first one. "Sheared.com; Zootopia's number one site for naughty ewes who know more than one way to use a shearer." Each time the wolf re-read the line silently to himself his heartbeat grew louder, and his excitement grew. Paw trembling, he clicked the link.

Immediately his screen was filled with ewes in erotic poses, in various stages of shearing. A few were playfully licking the end of their respective shears, eyeing the viewer seductively. Many of them looked a great deal like Dawn, in fact the wolf found himself super-imposing the ewes face on the various models. Vernon's tail began to wag vigorously at the sight.

"Cl...lick here..." He was nearly breathless as he quietly spoke. "To see o-our resident leggy lamb in action." The wolf had come too far to back out now. His urges pushing him onward, his paw moved the pointer over the link toward the link.

The double click was forceful, and deliberate. The video launcher rapidly opened, and after a few moments of buffering the advertised ewe appeared on screen. She looked so much like Dawn it was almost startling, then again the wolf was now seeing Dawn as almost every ewe he looked at. Her eyes were even the same piercing green as Dawn's were. Her legs and shoulders were already sheared, and she was wearing nothing other than a black pair of pad covers that made their way up to her mid calf. As the video played, the lamb fiddled with an electric razor . After a few moments of toying with the device she winked at the viewer, and seductively licked the non-bladed end of the shears.

Then, in one swift motion she drove the shears down the center of her chest, cleaving a clean path between her bosom. As it continued down she uttered a soft, pleading bleat. Just before reaching her most forbidden of areas the wolf snapped out of his heated fervor. Sanity returning and guilt fiercely gripping him, he shook his head violently and quickly closed the window. 

Shooting straight up out of the seat, he wiped his forehead repeatedly as if he were trying to wake up. The beat of his heart rang deafeningly in his ears.

"I...I need." He was panting desperately, as if he had just run across the city. "I need a cold shower, NOW!" He barked.

Vernon took off in a desperate sprint, heading for the bathroom in a mad dash. As he cleared the hall corner and turned to enter the bathroom, he lost his footing, coming down hard against the door. As the full weight of his body slammed against it, it gave way allowing him to fall straight into the bathroom. On his way down, he spun in a frenzied effort grasp something, anything to break his fall.

Unfortunately, the only thing his flailing paw managed to grasp was a towel, which easily pulled loose under his weight. A towel which was previously being held around the torso of a very familiar lamb. As the wolf slammed into the ground, his eyes fell upon the newly revealed sight. 

There was Dawn, horrified and embarrassed in all her sheared glory. Her arms were free of wool, as was her chest, and all the way down. It appeared Vernon would no longer need to imagine what she looked like. She quickly clasped her hooves over her exposed places, but the damage had been done.

"VERNON!" She said in a startled tone.

The wolf quickly stood up, slapping a paw over his eyes.

"DAWN!? DAWN! I-I'M" He sputtered, blushing furiously. "I"M SO SORRY!!!" He began to blindly back out of the room.

He could hear Dawn clambering to retrieve her towel. "No! It's my fault! I should have said I was going to use the bathroom!" She sputtered.

The wolf bumped into the doorway hard, sending a stinging pain up his back. He yelped in response. "No! No! I should have knocked!" The wolf used his free hand to find the door knob, and groped it shakily. "I'm-I'm." He stuttered. "I should head out!" And with that, the wolf escaped the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Again he was running, fleeing to the apartment entrance. Once outside, he slammed the door behind him loudly, panting hard and fast. As he leaned against the front door, his legs gave out from under him. Slowly the wolf slid down the door, eventually crumpling into a heap on the floor of the vacant and silent hall. The wolf clutched his chest, praying for his heart to stop. Vernon stared blankly across the empty hall, trying to gather his breath. 

"Teeth to Tails." he mumbled to himself. Dawn's lithe form was dancing across his mind. "Th-This." He shook his head briskly to try to shake the image away. "This ain't good."


	10. The Heart Wants

It had been only three days since the 'shearing incident' as Vernon referred to it. And while life appeared to be going on as normal for the wolf and ewe, Vernon was wracked with a combination of guilt and shame. After fleeing the apartment the wolf had essentially spent the remaining hour and a half before his class wandering Savannah Central in a stupor. He didn't even return to the apartment for his supplies when the time came the head over to Zootopia University, opting instead to risk going without them than face Dawn. Eventually though, he had to return for work.

The first part of the shift was uncomfortably silent, and the two said very little. But eventually Dawn broke the silence, getting down directly to the matter at hoof. The gist of the conversation came down to the general consensus of 'accidents happen', and that Dawn wasn't even mad about the whole incident. It ultimately ended easing Vernon somewhat, allowing their routine to return to normal. But he still felt awful, especially because his mind was frequently replaying the memory. And if he were to be painfully honest, he didn't hate the mental picture.

It was that feeling that urged him to wake up before Dawn on this afternoon, to prepare a special surprise for the ewe. At the very least the gift would make him feel a little like his relationship with Dawn wasn't mired by some sort of strange seasonal lust. He cared about the ewe, and intended to show it.

Stirring the afternoon coffees, he listened for the telltale signs of the stirring lamb. A quiet mumble, a sudden loud thump followed by a "Lamb Shanks!". The lamb usually knocked her glasses off the night stand trying to wrangle them. Vernon chuckled as he heard the door to her bedroom open.

"You're up early." He heard her say, a slight tiredness draping over her words.

"Gotta head in early today. Gus needs me for something." The wolf shrugged, still sitting on the stool at the breakfast nook. He didn't turn as the lamb sat down next to him.

"Oh Dags." The sheep cursed. "There goes our movie night." She mumbled.

"I thought you had therapy today anyway." The wolf asked.

"Well yeah, but that's only for an hour." The lamb placed her hooves on the counter and proceeded to slump her head into them.

"Gus said he needed me." The wolf sighed. "We'll just have to push it up a few days."

He could see the disappointment on the lambs face, now was the perfect time to strike.

"Maybe this will help a little." The wolf smirked, sliding the mug of hot coffee over to the lamb.

She gave a simple nod at first, before seeming to notice the mug was different than usual. 

"Now I know it ain't fancy, but I remember you saying you used to like to collect coffee mugs before you worked for ol' Lionfart. So I thought this one was perfect." The wolf coughed awkwardly.

"Ewe rock my world?" She read, an amused grin forming on her muzzle.

"I hope you don't hate puns." The wolf chuckled.

Vernon suddenly felt tiny hooves wrap around him tightly and a weight bury into his chest. The wolf was shocked at just how tightly the lamb could squeeze as she hugged him. He gently patted her back with his paw.

"Oh Vernon!" Her voice was bursting with joy. "This is the sweetest, most wonderful gift I've ever gotten! You're wonderful!" She cooed.

"It's just a mug." He laughed, retuning the tight hug.

"It's a mug from my favorite Puppy!" She chirped, breaking the hug and returning to clasp the mug. "It's fantastic...Thank you." She sighed.

"Welp, I just thought, y'know...with what happened." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

She slapped a hoof at him, her expression souring slightly. "Oh Vernon, I told you we were fine. You didn't have to do something like this!" She pet the mug affectionately.

"I wanted to." He smiled back.

Vernon placed a paw on Dawn's shoulder, drawing a curious glance from the ewe. "You are really important to me Dawn, and I wanted to show you that I value our friendship."

Dawn gave Vernon a small smile.

"Before we reconnected It was like I was missing something I didn't even realize I lost, and then you came along and it was like a revelation." The wolf took a sip of his coffee.

"Vernon." The ewe said softly, her eyes seeming to shimmer.

"Kinda makes me wish we never got split up. I wonder how things would'a been if we had been able to stay friends. We lost a hell of a lot of time." Vernon said sadly.

The ewe patted the wolf on the leg, looking at him with sympathetic and pained eyes.

"Oh Puppy, I wonder that too." She sighed. "But we're together now, and I'd say were making the most of it." She smiled.

Vernon smiled, ruffling Dawn's poof before taking another sip of his coffee. The lamb returned to her drink after giving the mug another affectionate caress.

"So when do you have to be in?" Dawn changed the subject.

"' 'Bout twenty minutes." The wolf muttered.

Vernon could see the sheep tense. "Vernon, you're cutting it really close. Why didn't you leave already?"

The wolf drank the remains of the coffee in one prolonged swig. "Had to give you your present didn't I?" He smirked.

"Vernon." She scolded. "You should have waited, or woke me earlier!" she grimaced slightly.

"Gus won't be mad, besides this is overtime." The wolf stood. Walking over to the sink he gently placed his mug inside and ran water in it. "I'll head out now Floofs."

As the wolf made his way to the door the lamb suddenly stopped him.

"Puppy!" She called.

"Yep?" He turned back to her.

"Would it be alright if I used your computer? I've been meaning to replace my laptop and I don't trust buying it over my phone." The ewe asked.

"Ain't a problem with me, what's mine is yours Floofs." The wolf nodded. "Now I best be going, I'll see ya tonight." Vernon waived, and swiftly made his way out of the apartment.  
As Vernon arrived to the restaurant entrance he bumped into a particularly agitated looking ram carrying drinks. The wolf immediately turned to apologize.

"I'm Sor-"

"Watch where you're going ya mutt!" The ram snarled without turning, continuing his way toward a white van where another sheep was waiting. Vernon was about to respond, but was cut off.

"Don't waste your breath on that pizzle-less ram. There's no pleasing some mammals." Gus was now standing in the doorway looking somewhat disheveled, and the exhaustion was apparent on his face. For a moment Vernon feared he might actually get flack for arriving ten minutes late, but Gus didn't even bring it up as he held the door for his large friend.

"Evening Vern." The goat yawned.

"Gus, you look like hell." Vernon responded, following behind the goat.

"I've been here since twelve, and I was running the night shift last night. So it's to be expected." The goat chuckled weakly.

Passing through the Bug Burga Vernon could see it was surprisingly light on patrons despite it being just slightly after rush hour. The few customers were sparsely spread around the building, and the other staff members were ambling around with little to do. As the duo approached the counter Vernon could see Val, looking bored as per usual. However she seemed to perk up when noticing the wolf.

"So what are we doing today?" Vernon asked.

"We gotta take inventory of the freezer and re-organize it." Gus replied dully.

"Aw mam, that's a big job. Why do we need to do it?" Vernon groaned, as he leaned against the counter.

"Well, they're coming in a few days to remove the interior lock from the freezer door. So it's going to be open all day." The goat rubbed his temples. " We gotta throw out the expired supplies, and stack the stuff we aren't going to be using way in the back until they bring out the portable freezer."

"Wait, I'm lost." The vixen interjected. "Why would you put a lock inside the freezer anyway?" 

"The freezer used to double as a safe room or something." Vernon muttered. "Like if there was a hold up, you could hide out in there, although you'd be mighty cold."

"It's technically it's own building too, with a separate vent system and everything. The idea was to make it impenetrable. But the locks tend to stick, and most mammals can't stand that kind of cold exposure for that long. So legally speaking, it's more of a hassle." Gus stated bluntly.

"Who would think that was a good idea anyway?" Val muttered.

"Blame corporate." The goat responded dully.

"Ah hoof rot! I nearly forgot. Wait here Vernon, I have to get the proper papers together for this." The goat snapped to attention. Nodding to the two carnivores, he made a brisk jog over to his office.

As the surprisingly loud sound of papers being tossed about echoed from the goat's office, Vernon simply continued to lean against the counter. He let out a relaxed sigh before noticing the vixen was leaning over the counter and making eyes at him.

"So how's the misses?" Val asked in an amused tone.

Vernon's muzzle scrunched with annoyance. "And just what's that supposed to mean?" He grumbled.

Vernon saw a broad smile stretch across the vixen's muzzle, and immediately realized he'd made a mistake. He had landed himself smack dab in the middle of another one of Val's games. 

"You and the ewe." She signified the two mammals with her fingers. "The sex has got to be savage!" Her mischievous smile seemed to widen.

Vernon felt his face flush, but managed to keep up his cool demeanor.

"Listen." The wolf muttered coolly. "Me and Dawn are just friends. That's the long and short of it." The wolf crossed his arms defensively.

The vixen seemed to recoil, as if she were worried she offended him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said innocently, twirling a claw on the counter.

There was an awkward silence, and Vernon grew increasingly uncomfortable. He knew Val was far from done. Suddenly she leaned forward again, resting her head on her paws. A seductive smile came across her face.

"So, wanna fool around then?" She cooed.

"W-Pth Wh-what!?" Vernon choked in surprise.

"You and me. C'mon, I've always wondered what a being with a wolf would be like." Val winked, and playfully licked her muzzle.

It was Vernon's turn to recoil. "Val, for the god's sakes, you're eighteen!" The wolf stated in shock.

"Nineteen." She corrected, swishing her tail.

"That's still almost twelve years difference, and what would your father think?" The wolf sputtered.

"Eh, my father knows I don't run with bad mammals. And he knows you. He thinks you're a pretty solid guy." She adjusted her shoulders.

Vernon scoffed, shaking his head vigorously in disapproval. "I'm gonna have to decline there Val, I don't thi-"

"Aw come on Vern, you haven't even given me a chance. I know some pretty good tricks." The vixen raised her eyebrows playfully. Leaning in closer, her voice dropped to a whisper. "I can do things with my tail that would make you howl." She purred.

Vernon turned away from Val sharply, trying to hide the now radiating blush. She was winning the game, and Vernon was scrambling to think of a good rebuttal. However, his chance was stolen from him by another voice.

"Val, stop teasing Vernon. You know he loves Dawn." 

Vernon turned in shock to see that Gus had returned. He was flipping through the various papers strapped to his clipboard and hadn't even looked up.

"Gus! What!?" Was all Vernon managed to sputter.

"Aw c'mon, I meant it. Vernon's pretty hot." The Vixen winked at the wolf again. Vernon turned away to hide his blush, placing a paw to the side of his face to block the vixen's view.

"Val, cut the teenage bad girl shtick, you come from a well off family and your dad has an office job. You are about a rebellious as the ancient flock followers. Your Dad doesn't need anymore stress." The goat dully replied, causing Val to pout in a dramatic fashion.

"Jeeze, alright. You really are no fun ya old shattering ram." She muttered, crossing her arms.

"Gus..." Vernon said, still shocked at his friends statement.

The goat looked up at the wolf, releasing a tired sigh.

"Oh come on Vernon, surely you see it. Hell this place reeks of it." Gus replied.

"What are you going on about?" The wolf crossed his arms again.

Gus groaned, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Every time I come in after you two finish a shift or when I'm around you two this place is inundated with caprid pheromones." He muttered.

"Not to mention you're putting off some pretty strong canine pheromones yourself there big fella." Val snarked.

"So Val and I put two and two together, adding in how well you two get along and how affectionate you are to each other. The result is so obvious any mammal with eyes could see it, let alone smell it." Gus concluded.

"T-that's ridiculous!...I-" Vernon struggled to respond. "I...don't smell anything."

"How could you not recognize that smell? We grew up in the Meadowlands mam!" Gus slapped his hoof to his head in disbelief.

"No, it makes sense." Val smirked. "He's oblivious because you only tend to notice that sort of thing when it's from a mammal who you're interested in. Otherwise you just ignore it." She shook her head knowingly.

Vernon froze. 'It couldn't be true, could it?' The wolf thought. That smell that head been smelling all this time living with Dawn. Was Dawn actually releasing pheromones...because of him? He shook his head in a wayward attempt to shake out the thought, but it failed to leave.

"A sweet smell, like flowers or fruit right?" Gus asked.

"H-how?" He didn't even hear the words escape his lips.

"Yeah, that's a caprid scent. I mean each one is distinct, but they generally fall into the kind of flowery meadow and fresh fruit scent." Gus stated, matter-of-factly. 

"Bu-but that can't..." Vernon was now practically inaudible.

"Isn't it sad?" Gus turned to look and Val. " It's like two ships lost at sea, desperately sending signals to each other that they can't read."

Val rolled her eyes. "Tch, didn't take you for such a romantic Gus."

"B-But I'm not some prey chaser! I've never seen sheep that way!" Vernon suddenly yelped, causing the other mammals to flinch.

"And you wonder why he couldn't figure out what the smell was?" Val smirked at the goat.

"I'm kinda surprised Vernon, there were quite a few nanny's and ewes that had a crush on you back in high school. You never even got a whiff?" Gus asked, looking at Vernon with a curious expression.

"Boys are so dumb." Val muttered. " Getting a guy to realize you like them is like leading the blind." She lolled her head, boredom returning to her face.

"Now see I think it's denial, Vernon doesn't want to believe that he loves her. Because-"

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I AIN'T HERE!?" Vernon yelled, before clasping his paws over his mouth. The various patrons of the restaurant were now eyeing the scene. Vernon tugged at his collar nervously before Val piped up.

"HEY, THIS IS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION, KEEP EATING!" She yelled at the customers, earning a glare from Gus. Like terrified children, the various mammals quickly snapped their heads down, returning to their meals. 

"It-" Vernon lowered his voice, leaning closer to the two. "Look, I care about Dawn. She's my best friend." He shrugged. "Just because we hang out all the time, and I love being around her, and I keep having thoughts about snuggling up to her, and kissi-" The wolf petrified mid sentence as he realized what he was saying. Val and Gus traded a knowing glance.

"Oh no." Vernon shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no..." he muttered repeatedly. "This is bad."

"Eh, what's so bad about a wolf and ewe getting together? Granted your choice of ewe could be considered suspect. But this isn't the Stone Age Vern." Gus was looking back down at his paperwork.

"Yeah, it's Zootopia baby!" Val chuckled. "We got fox cops now, welcome to the future!" She said sarcastically, waiving a paw around.

"She's my friend, I can't jeopardize that relationship." Vernon brushed his paw over his hair, exasperated. " On top of that she's got enough on her plate with the whole-"

"Ex-criminal mastermind and public pariah thing?" Val interjected.

Vernon simply nodded. "Even if she liked me the same way, a taboo relationship like that would just make it harder for her."

"Vernon, Zootopia's changed a lot since the night-howler incident. Mammals are more tolerant and understanding than ever before. But the only way to continue to move forward is to take those brave leaps. There always needs to be a Neil Armstag to take the first step. " Gus said.

"Wow, I'm impressed Gus. That was pretty." Val remarked.

"College taught me a lot Val, you should give it a try. You don't want to work at this place your whole life." Gus sighed. "Thanks grandpa." He grumbled, his voice laced with disdain.

"Anywho..." Val sidestepped. " Vernon, what do you mean 'if she liked me the same way?'. She's leaving scent trails all over for you. She's gotta share the sentiment."

Vernon groaned. "Look, just because you are exuding pheromones doesn't mean you want to act on them. That's why we aren't still living in caves, our brains are more complicated than that nowadays. She probably is just as unwilling because of the risks and realities of the situation."

"She's Zootopia's most hated mammal, what does she have to lose?" Val remarked, earning a harsh shushing from Gus.

"Vernon, you never told me whether I was right or not." Gus chimed in.

"What?" The wolf asked, beleaguered.

"Do you love her?" Gus asked.

As Vernon stood stock still, he could see the goat and fox lean in expectantly. His brain was swirling with millions of thoughts and feelings, and it felt suffocating. They built and built until they reached a crescendo before falling away to leave behind a simple truth left in stark silence. The wolf emitted a heavy, forlorn sigh.

"I do." He muttered.

"God's help me I'm in love with Dawn Bellwether."

Val and Gus smiled broadly at one another before Gus rounded the counter and gingerly place a hoof on the large wolf's back. 

"Feel better?" Gus asked.

"Yes and no." Vernon replied in a dull tone.

"Well." Gus chuckled. "It's a start on the road to dealing with it."

"I guess..." Vernon trailed off.

"C'mon Vern, let's go stock and let your mind clear out for a while eh?" Gus gave the wolf a gentle nudge. 

The wolf looked at Gus and began to slowly nod. "All right." Vernon responded weakly.

Gus began to walk toward the freezer, leaving the wolf standing there for a while before reluctantly, Vernon began to trudge after him. As he rounded the counter he felt a paw grasp his arm gently, and turned to find Val giving him an oddly sympathetic look.

"Listen, Vernon..." She smiled softly. "If things don't work out....well..." She looked down awkwardly. "Me and Gus are here for you, you know that." She smiled a genuine smile that left Vernon somewhat surprised.

"Thanks Val." Vernon replied earnestly, placing a paw on her shoulder and returning her smile.

"You comin' Sheepdog!?" Gus yelled from the back room with a hearty chuckle.

"Keep your fleece on Little Big Horn!" And with that the wolf made his way into the freezer.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment Dawn was soon to be faced with confronting her own feelings about Vernon. Shortly after the wolf left, the ewe went right to work searching out a laptop that best suited her needs. She scoured the various sites and stores, but after twenty minutes she was beginning to tire of the whole ordeal. Every thing she had found so far either was far too expensive or failed to meet the specifications she wanted.

"I may have a carrot phone, but I am not spending three thousand Z's on a Carrot laptop that has three year old hardware." The ewe grumbled to herself, flicking the scroll wheel causing the page to speed by in a blur.

Dawn sighed, leaning her head on her hoof. "Vernon could probably recommend something good if he wer- Oh!" Dawn suddenly jerked to attention.

"What was that website that I used to go too, they had some really great deals." The ewe scratched her chin in contemplation. "Something cheap....something..." She chewed on her hoof for a moment.

"Aha!" She pointed a hoof decisively. "It was SheepsShopCheap.com! They even had those adorable little sheep cartoon covers." She clapped her hooves excitedly.

Dawn began to type the web address, but she only made it as far as 'Sh' before auto-complete predicted the next few letters.

Dawn stared at the predicted web address, blinking in surprise. She had to wipe her eyes a few times to make sure she was seeing the name clearly.

"S-sheared.com?" Dawn chewed at her hoof again.

She re-read it over and over again. 'That can't mean what I think it means...' Dawn thought to herself. She knew how auto-complete worked. If this site had come up, it had been visited at least once before. 'That would mean Vernon...'

"No, not possible." She shooed the thought away. "It couldn't possibly be what I think it is."

The ewe sat silently staring at the screen. She tapped her hooves lightly together, contemplating what to do. Slowly, and reluctantly she brought her hoof back to the mouse, and moved the pointer to the 'go' button. She hovered over it in trepidation.

"C'mon Dawn, let's just see. It's not that....I'm sure it's not." Her finger trembled as she gently brought it down on the key.

In a flash the screen filled with a sultry purple website featuring pictures of provocative ewes in various stages of shearing. Dawn gasped sharply, clasping her hooves over her mouth to stifle the noise. She felt her muzzle flush as she took in more of the erotic displays. Some of the lambs were merely posing seductively as they sheared themselves, while others had found entirely different and inappropriate ways to use their shears. Dawn had never seen herself as a prude, she knew that mammals had needs and even she wasn't immune to eyeing some lewd pictures of handsome rams. But what shocked her the most was that she was correct about the nature of the site, and what's more it was clear Vernon had accessed it.

"B-But Vernon said he..." The ewe mumble, stupefied. "He stuck with wolves....hadn't he?"

Dawn shakily reached for the mouse, and quickly closed the tab. Slowly she slid over to the history tab, hovering warily over the icon.

"I shouldn't. It's an invasion of privacy." She thought to herself, but her finger clicked without reservation. 

Dawn began to scan the various site names, checking to see when Sheared.com was last accessed. Dawn was even more dumbfounded to find that not only was the site accessed shortly after the whole shearing escapade, but that it had been the only time it had been. In Dawn's mind, only one feasible explanation remained.

"But that would mean..." She placed a hoof over her mouth. "Vernon wanted to look at this site...because he found me....attractive?"

A shudder of pleasure traveled down her spine at the thought. The room felt hot, and her blush was practically radiating enough heat to roast a marshmallow. Vernon, her Puppy, thought she was sexy. Having to help shear her had obviously gotten him so hot and bothered he had to turn to such a website to deal with his 'desires'. The more Dawn thought of this, the more her stomach fluttered.

She had only asked for help with her shearing because there was really no way around it. But she would have been lying to herself if she said she hadn't gotten as equally heated during the affair. She could smell Vernon's scent the whole time, and it had made her tremble with each errant clip of the cold shears against her increasingly heated flesh. Her heart had pounded harder and harder as she found herself pushing the conversation closer to saucier subjects. She wanted to grab the wolf, bury herself into his chest and never let go. But in the end she couldn't bring herself to do it, and the wolf abruptly made his exit when he was finished shearing.

The ewe rubbed her upper arms, an involuntary act in an attempt to quell a shivering that didn't come from the cold. She was thinking of the bathroom now, being exposed. She wanted Vernon to take her right then and there. To kiss her, to nuzzle her, to be with her forever.

"Oh Puppy." she sighed wistfully. "I-"

Dawn suddenly froze, all of her excitement was giving way to a deeper feeling, something burning in the pit of her chest. It was something the ewe hadn't felt in a long time.

"I...love you." She said, her face stricken with disbelief at her own words.

"I love you?" She asked herself. The lamb went silent as she turned the words over again and again in her brain.

"Oh no..." Her head sunk. "I love you." She said, worry in her voice.

Vernon was a predator, the natural foe of all sheep. Yet he was also the sweetest and kindest mammal she had ever met. He was patient, caring, and strong when he needed to be. And Dawn was absolutely smitten with him, that was the un-abashed truth.

With a sudden buzz, dawn was pulled back from her revelation. Removing her phone from her pocket, she saw a prompt on the screen reminding her that it was time to leave for her therapy session.

"Oh mutton chops. Where did the time go?" Dawn shot up from her chair. She began to head toward her room, but stopped to glance back at the computer once more.

"Dr. Gnu will know what to do, I'll discuss it with him." She shook her head dismissively before turning back to the room.

Dawn quickly donned her usual disguise hoodie, and a pair of thick shades before leaving the apartment. As she made the trip the doctors office located in the more densely skyscraper packed area of Savannah Central, her mind was still ruminating on her feelings for Vernon. So she loved him, what now? Was it wrong? All questions she would need to save for Dr. Gnu, but they still plagued her none the less. The ewe was so distracted by her thoughts that she nearly missed the station she was supposed to stop at on the subway.

Arriving at the office, and settling in for her first out of prison session, Dawn suddenly found it nearly impossible to touch on the subject of her romantic feelings for Vernon. She instead talked about settling into life outside, her new job, and the fire. When she talked about Vernon and their relationship she avoided the subject of romance completely, nervously reiterating the strong friendship they had. It was only when she realized the session was nearly over that Dawn was able to muster the courage to touch on the subject.

"D-doctor..." She stuttered softly. " Have you ever been in love with someone you couldn't have?" She said sorrowfully.

The doctor removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes with his hoof. "I take it you are talking about Vernon yes?"

The lamb looked at him, slight surprise on her face. "That obvious?"

The doctor nodded softly. "I've been in the business of figuring out the way mammals think and mammal body language for close to twenty years. I wouldn't still be a therapist If I wasn't at least somewhat good at that." The wildebeest replaced his glasses.

"The expressions you made when you spoke of Vernon, the way your eyes shined, the small nearly inaudible sighs. It's textbook." He concluded with a chuckle.

The ewe rubbed her upper arms as she lay on the lounge.

"It's wrong right? For a sheep to love a wolf?" She looked at the doctor for confirmation.

The doctor gave a deep sigh. "Personally?" He leaned back, attempting to take a more casual stance. "I see no problem with it."

"Really?" Dawn looked at the Gnu strangely.

"Again Dawn, I've been at this for years." He scratched his nose before continuing. "Being a therapist requires having an open mind. It doesn't bode well for a patient's mental health if their doctor expresses distaste for their thoughts."

The Gnu looked out the window at the Savannah skyline and gave a wistful sigh. "Over the years I've seen many patients in your hooves Dawn. I've seen them struggle, I've seen them scared, but not a single one of them gave up. They all tried to make that relationship a reality despite the public image about such things. I've seen goats and foxes get together, I've seen a hippos and tigers get together, hell just the other day I had a wolf telling me about the crush he has on a giraffe girl that works at the coffee house across from his precinct."

Dawn was slightly surprised at the last one, it sounded familiar somehow. "Wait, which precinct?"

The Gnu coughed awkwardly. "I've said to much already. Patient confidentiality and all that." Straightening his tie he continued. " The point I was trying to get around to is that all of those mammals were happier having pursued that relationship than letting it go because of the fear of societal reprisals They may keep it a secret from Zootopia at large, but there are quite a few predator prey relationships out there, and they are happy ones."

Dawn adjusted her shoulders in an effort to make herself more comfortable, burying herself deeper into the lounge.

"What is important is to do what makes you happy Dawn." The Gnu leaned in with interest. "Would that make you happy Dawn? To be with Vernon?"

The ewe let out a shuddering sigh, rubbing her upper arms again.

"I can't." She muttered. "It's not that simple."

"Why?" Gnu pressed.

"I'm worried about ruining our friendship, I'm worried he might be against it despite his urges." She twiddled her hooves nervously.

"This isn't the first time I've heard reasons like this Dawn. Many mammals have been in the same situation. But isn't it worse to perpetually languish so closely to what you desire, never being able to obtain it?" Gnu argued.

Dawn stood up, now clearly upset. "Well, how many mammals have to worry that being associated with someone could ruin their lives!?"

The Gnu shook his head with slight confusion. "Dawn, I don't follow."

The ewe flopped back down on the lounge, heaving a heavy sigh.

"I'm already so tangled up in Vernon's life, and he doesn't even realize how dangerous it is." She placed a hoof over her face. "If we became a couple, and gods forbid it got out..."

"What?" The doctor urged her to continue.

The ewe began to tear up. "It would ruin everything he's trying to carve out for himself." She stifled a sob. "Interspecies dating aside, no-one is going to want to associate with someone closely involved with Zootopia's most infamous criminal. I can't risk doing that to him. I won't ruin his life!" She stated, tears now flowing steadily.

The doctor grabbed a tissue from his desk and held it out to Dawn. Trembling, she took it and began to dab her eyes.

"Dawn..." The doctor sighed. "I understand your situation is unique, and I have no idea how it actually feels being in your situation. I can only advise what I think is best for you. It's up for you to choose how you want to confront a problem like this."

The ewe did her best to choke back the tears, trying desperately to regain control of her emotions. She sniffled hard, aggressively wiping her eyes with the tissue now.

" If I were to make a suggestion as to how you should handle this, I would say..." The doctor breathed in deeply, and tipped his head down. "It would be best to talk to Vernon about this."

The ewe stood up again, dropping the tissue on the lounge. "I can't doctor! I just CAN'T!" She was shaking with emotion now.

"Easy Dawn, easy!" The doctor held out his arms in a calming gesture. Slowly, Dawn lay herself back in the lounge. Turning away from the doctor and curling into a fetal position.

"He's so stubborn." She sighed. "Even if he was willing, I'd never be able to convince him how badly being with me would damage his reputation. He'd never become an architect, no mammal would hire him. We'd probably have to live in a hovel somewhere. I couldn't allow that to happen to him, he doesn't deserve such a thing."

A silence hung over the office, seemingly lasting for an eternity as Dawn simply lay in a sullen slump.

"Well..." Gnu cleared his throat." The only other suggestion I could make Dawn..."

Dawn's back was still to the doctor, but she could hear the squeaks of the leather chair from the doctors awkward shifting.

"Is to move out and spend some time away from him." 

Dawn immediately snapped around to face the doctor, eyes wide in both horror and anger.

"WHAT!?" She yelped, before slapping her hooves to her muzzle. "I can't do that! I don't want to- I m-mean." She stuttered, her tone lowering as she spoke. "It would hurt him so bad. I couldn't-"

The doctor put his hooves out again. "Dawn, Dawn. It's alright." The Gnu sighed, squeezing the bridge of his snout. "It is just a suggestion, you don't have to take it."

"The only reason I presented it as an option is because being so close to him is only going to hurt you more as it is. If you are so adamant about not ruining his life it might be in your best interest to separate for a while."

Dawn silently stared at the doctor in disbelief. She wanted to speak, but no words came.

"If you think you can continue on as you are, like I said it's only a suggestion." Gnu stated. "But it might be worth considering if it becomes to unbearable, understand?"

Dawn continued to stare blankly at the doctor before slowly and reluctantly nodding. "I s-suppose if it gets that b-bad." She shuddered. "I'll consider it."

Gnu nodded solemnly. "Very good." The wildebeest said. He then turned his attention to the wall clock.

"Well Dawn, it appears the sessions been over for about five minutes." He chuckled.

Dawn immediately snapped into an upright position. "Oh my, I'm so sorry."

"Not at all Dawn, I try not to concern myself if patients run a little over. I'd rather not stop them in the midst of a discussion." Gnu replied.

Dawn hopped off the lounge, brushing her skirt off as she did.

"I'd like to see you in another two months, you can set up another appointment with my secretary out front." Gnu motioned toward the door.

"Thank you doctor." Dawn replied.

The lamb made her way to the door, and as she clasped the knob she heard the doctor again.

"Oh and Dawn." She turned back to the doctor.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I know you'll make the right choice." He nodded solemnly.

Dawn slowly nodded along, then with a brisk waive the ewe opened the door and left the office. As Dawn closed the door behind her she leaned against it, her head drooped in sorrow.

"Oh Puppy..." She mumbled. "What am I gonna do?"


	11. The Purple Haze

Outback Island, originally named Stag Steeple Island, is located just west of Zootopia off the coast of the Rainforest District. The name was changed at the turn of the century in response to the Great Marsupial Migration, taken directly from the country of origin from which the bulk of the immigrants came. As the years went on, the immigration process become more streamlined, and with it the need for the island facility diminished. It eventually closed down officially in the 1940's, left to be reclaimed by the island's natural ecosystem. It remained that way for thirty some odd years until the Zootopian government saw fit to revive the facility. With the booming population growth came a sharp rise in crime. The prisons were already over-crowded, and so the need for a new larger scale facility arose. 

The new Outback island would address this problem, no longer as an immigration center, but as a maximum security prison. Outback Island Correctional opened officially in 1983, and remains in operation to this very day. It is considered both the largest and most dangerous prison Zootopia has at it's disposal. The mere mention of it as a sentencing option is enough to reduce most criminals to hysterics, begging to be placed anywhere else. The feeling of hopeless pervades the cold, harsh facility, felt even by those merely looking at the island from a distance. To this day, no mammal has ever escaped it's jagged and torrid shores.

It is here, on this stormy night, Evard Stoat found himself trussed and gagged. Two rams dragged him down a hallway as he desperately wriggled for freedom. The procession seemed to go on for hours, Stoat eventually becoming too tired to fight back as they passed from corridor to corridor. Deeper and deeper into the unknown and lost bowels of the prison, where even the rolling thunder could no longer be heard. After what seemed like an eternity the rams arrived at a very secure looking door. Spending several moments opening the myriad of locks, the duo dragged the small mammal into the room. They quickly and carelessly tossed the stoat on a medial slab in the room's center, before abruptly turning and leaving without a word.

Stoat shuddered at the feel of the icy steel that lie under him. His eyes darted around the room, trying to get some sense of where he had ended up. The room was cold and clinical. Made of steel and concrete. Dull grey was nearly all he could see no matter where he looked. The only oddities he could make out was a single security camera and an odd vent in each corner of the ceiling.

It was quiet for a long while. Aside from his own panicked thoughts, Evard could only hear his heartbeat which steadily increased with each passing moment. Finally he heard hooves clacking against the cement floor. They grew louder and louder until a ram loomed over him. He was old, and his face bore the wrinkles of a mammal who spent most of his life angry. His dead blue eyes bore holes into Stoat, and the intimidation was made worse by the flurry of claw scars running down his face. There was only one mammal Stoat knew with a mug like that, the warden.

"You nearly screwed things up for us you little runt." He growled.

The Stoat could only whimper weakly.

"We laundered so much money your way, we made you rich, got you over here." The ram sneered. "But it wasn't enough, you wanted every mammal to know who you were. Typical Pred."

The ram slapped the mammal hard across the face, causing him to emit a muffled yelp of pain.

"Now we don't have anymore time." The ram turned away. Stoat watched as he paced back and forth. "Some cop gets to digging, probably that rabbit." He snorted. "And despite our best efforts to hide it, they'll find a trail." The rage in the ram’s eyes caused the ermine to shudder.

"They'll find out how far back the counterfeiting goes, who was helping it along, and most importantly the cargo we had you ship in." The ram turned back to the stoat. He sharply reached out and grabbed him by the neck. Evard began crying, his pleads for mercy muffled by the gag.

"But we'll make do wont we?" The ram produced an electronic key, which he used to disable the ermine’s tame collar. Unhooking the device from the stoat, he carelessly tossed it across the room with a loud clatter.

Smirking evilly, the ram grasped Stoat’s face, squeezing it uncomfortably. "Can’t have that little nuisance interfering with our test results can we? It might kill you too quickly.” The ermine’s eyes went wide with terror, and he began to struggle violently.

The ram released his grip, allowing the stoat to thrash even more aggressively. His desperate flailing caused him to fall off the table, hitting the floor hard. He had little time to recover from the pain before another jolt came from a hoof kicking him in the stomach. He clenched his teeth in agony.

"Doug my boy! You ready to light this candle?"

The ermine could now see the wall across the way. It housed a massive observation window, which several sheep and a few other prey mammals were seated behind.

"Yes Mr. Wooligan, come on in and we'll fire up the emitters." Was the meek reply from the sheep in the center of the window.

Wooligan gave a last glance at the ermine. "Consider this a mercy, you wouldn't have lasted much longer in here anyway." He grinned before spitting on the ermine.

Wooligan made his way to the nearby door, and entered the observation room. Securing the air lock tightly, he took a seat next to Doug.

"Alright son, let's see what your new brew can do." Wooligan grinned nearly ear to ear.

"Yes, were all quite eager to see Mr. Ramses." Another ram added.

Doug began to carefully began to adjust various dials and knobs on the panel in front of him. "Alright sirs, prepare to witness the full potential of concentrated night howler."

The rams heard a weak hissing at first, but nothing noticeable changed in the chamber. It was only when Doug adjusted a large dial, the hiss suddenly became a deafening blast. They could now see the corners of Stoat's room rapidly filling with a deep indigo cloud. Stoat seemed to notice quickly, thrashing even more violently than before. His screams were almost loud enough to penetrate the gag as the thick smoke moved closer and closer.

It had only taken about thirty seconds before the smoke fully enveloped the chamber. The haze was so thick, the assembled prey were barely able to make out the silhouette of the ermine as he struggled on the floor. The screaming continued, but it became more strangled and interlaced with hacking and coughing behind the gag.

"Exposure time forty five seconds." Doug noted coldly as the others continued to watch.

The silhouette of the Stoat began to spasm, his screams becoming more guttural as his body tensed against his restraints. It was only a few more seconds before snarling and screeching could be heard loudly and clearly. They surmised Evard, in his frenzied state, had managed to eat through his gag.

"One minute and two seconds, night howler delirium has taken affect." Doug checked the various readings on the panel. "Adrenalin should be through the roof, and brain activity should be restricted to primal functions."

Wooligan rubbed his hooves together as he watched the silhouette thrash. "That's the fastest transformation we've had on the gaseous form yet." 

"Yes, it's quite wonderful." The other ram piped up.

"This mix is the most potent version of the formula I've ever created, and the effects are two-fold. Not only are the affected twice as violent, but their sense of pain is dulled significantly which keeps them fighting longer, making them a perfect weapon." Doug noted, adjusting the dial and lowering the gas to a more steady stream. "With their mind locked in that primitive and frenzied state, there would be very little that would dissuade them from attacking other mammals with reckless abandon. Maybe size differences or smells...but it's a trifle of a factor."

For five more minutes the Stoat continued to thrash and shriek. Then suddenly, the shrieks became gurgled. The mammal's body became rigid as he arched his back sharply, painfully straining against something unseen.

"What's happening?" Wooligan muttered.

"His heart is giving out." Doug responded.

The shadow gave a final, powerful writhe before slumping into the floor. It wheezed weakly a few times before the only thing that could be heard was the hissing of the gas.

"Six minutes, fourteen seconds." Doug noted. "Subject succumbed to over-exposure to the night howler gas. Time of death..." Doug looked at the clock on the panel. "Twelve twenty-seven A.M." He sighed, turning the gas off. With the turn of a few more switches, the hiss was now replaced with the sound of fans. Underneath the powerful buffeting winds, the gas began to disperse.

"...And that's it? No trace of the howler?" Wooligan asked.

"Tomorrow all they'll find is an ermine who died of heart failure." Doug nodded.

"Can we guarantee that transformation speed across the board or..." Wooligan lingered.

"Every mammal is different, and it depends on the gas concentration. But generally with this much gas in a space the difference between mammals is negligible." Doug responded.

"What about the over-exposure time?" Another ram added.

"That's a little more tricky, again it depends on the mammal and unknown factors. But eight times out of ten it usually ends in heart failure." Doug replied.

"Perfect. We can start moving then. I'll have the other rams put him back in his cell. Then we can start prepping for the big plan." Wooligan said with glee, clapping his hooves together in excitement.

"We still have an actual field test to run." Doug interjected.

"Ugh." The third ram groaned. "Mr. Ramses, she's not worth wasting out time with."

"We need her." Doug was adamant. "She deserves a place back in the fold."

"We are going to risk further exposing ourselves before our big plan goes off all for an old flame of yours Doug?"

"I suppose she deserves at least one more chance despite her failure the first time around." The voice had come from the ram in charge. He was seated in the back of the room, partially bathed in darkness. The only visible lighting from above his neckline was the dull orange glow of a smoldering cigar.

"But-"

"Shut it Mouflon." The head ram bitterly responded. " At the very least allow it for Doug's sake. He does love her after all."

"Are you sure it's just Doug who loves her?" Wooligan asked, eyeing the head ram.

"Arthur, we are going forward with what Doug wants. I-" The older ram paused, the embers from his cigar danced as he flicked the ash away. "I couldn't care less either way." He uttered.

Mouflon crossed his arms. "This is foolish. We'll just increase our likelihood of being caught. Have you thought about just contacting her directly, I could arr-"

"No." The head ram stated sharply. "She has to have no mammal to turn to but us. It's the only way to ensure she'll play ball."

Doug looked down sadly. "Yes...as much as I don't want to threaten her, w-we...we can't risk her spoiling it all."

"Well..." Mouflon muttered. "We may have a few more... problems than we anticipated in that department." The ram coughed awkwardly.

"And how is that Mouf?" Wooligan asked.

"Well, as you already know our boys have been keeping an eye on Dawn from time to time. They watched her apartment in the earlier months of her release, but their efforts to monitor her at work were dampened by Wilde and Hopp's surprise stake-outs." Mouflon explained.

"And?" The lead ram was getting impatient.

"Well it seems in that time she's forged a strange...erm..."Mouflon paused, scratching his chin in contemplation over how to properly word the rest of his sentence. "relationship with a wolf at that job of hers."

The lead ram laughed uproariously at Mouflon's words. "That's golden! Mouflon you are a card sometimes, honestly!" He continued to chuckle.

The other mammals in the room fell silent as their leader's laugh died away. As the realization slowly came over him, he eyed Mouflon suspiciously.

"You-?" He muttered. "You're serious?" 

Mouflon nodded reluctantly. "His name is Vernon Hunter. I've run the preliminary background check on him but I've come up with nothing. No connection to Dawn other than working with her, yet she called him a 'friend' at the apartment investigation."

The cigar smoking ram slammed his hoof hard against his arm rest, causing Arthur and Doug to jump. 

"Dawn couldn't possibly have a friend in the world at this point, especially a wolf of all mammals. There has to be an angle!" The leader growled.

"Again, I found no connection other than that they both grew up in the Meadowlands." Mouflon shook his head.

The ram paused, seemingly trying to recall a lost memory dredged up by Mouflon's statement. "Hmm..." He uttered, flicking more ash from his cigar. After a few moments the ram dismissively shook his head. "Well, no matter. Dawn will see his true nature during our little field test and that problem will be solved."

"There is more, unfortunately." Mouflon added.

"Well, out with it then, we have to get Doug back in his cell before morning." The ram blew out a large puff of smoke.

Mouflon sighed, rubbing his temples. "As you know, I've been keeping tabs on her location through the prisons computer system. But since the fire it has been changing to a different hotel each week." He muttered.

"And..." The lead ram mused.

"I had some of our boys check out the most recent address, and she wasn't there." he crossed his arms. "I suspect Polaraski is suspicious of how the information got out, and has been keeping her true residence to himself."

"So why not just send out some of our guys to monitor her? Follower her home from work. We know where that is." Doug added.

"They would be too easy to spot, it's a wonder no one has grown suspicious of the rams we've had monitoring the Bug-Burga intermittently." Mouflon waived his hoof dismissively.

"So what are you proposing?" Wooligan asked.

"Well..." Mouflon glanced over at the now still body of Evard Stoat, two rams now dragging his corpse out of the chamber. "How much of that gas would it take to put down a polar bear?"


	12. Hungry for the Wolf

Dawn was in the pit again, surrounded by the same faux ferns and painted diorama of the ancient world. She was balled up as tightly as she could be in the corner of the display, trying to make herself as small as possible under the glare of her monstrous self. It's steely green eyes were boring a hole through the lamb, and she whimpered in terror at its every growl.

"Leave me alone, please. Just leave me alone" She whimpered, trying to stifle her sobs. 

The beast let out a sinister cackle in response. "Oh Dawn..." It spoke in a mockingly sweet tone. "Why would I do that? It's far too much fun. "

Dawn began to bawl, closing her eyes tightly. As the tears streamed she stiffened her arms and balled her fists. "You aren't real." She snarled. "YOU AREN'T REAL!" 

The beast laughed again. "Oh I am Dawn, and I won't go away until you embr-"

The voice was suddenly silenced by a unnatural squeal of pain that bellowed across the empty chamber. There were several more screeches, joined by a now oddly familiar snarling before Dawn was able to muster the courage to open her eyes.

From were she was slumped she could see the form of Vernon, standing proud and tall above the now cowering and wounded monster. It hissed angrily at the wolf, saying nothing as it began to dissipate into a deep purple smoke. It only took an instant before her beastly doppelganger's form dissolved into the mist, and the mist in turn disappeared. Dawn was in shock, and it took a few moments before she was able to register what had happened and struggle to her feet.

"V-Vernon?" Her voice raised.

The wolf didn't turn to face her as she began to bound toward him.

"Oh Vernon!" She slammed into the wolf's back, wrapping her hooves tightly around him. Burying her face into his back she was brimming with tears of joy. "Oh gods, I'm so glad to see you! I can't believe you're here!" She cried.

The wolf still didn't speak, or move for that matter. The lamb looked up to him in confusion.

"Puppy?"

The wolf turned to face her, his green eyes gleaming with a terrible hunger. He began to growl at Dawn, causing her to release her grip. She stumbled backward in horror.

"V-Vernon!?" She choked out, still stricken in shock.

The wolf turned, slowly walking toward her. He was still snarling, licking his lips as he eyed the ewe.

"Vernon, please!" She held her arms out protectively as she continued to back away. 

The wolf lunged forward, causing the ewe to lose her footing and fall backward onto the floor. The lamb began to scuttle away in desperation until eventually her back met the cold stone wall of the arena. The wolf, now on all fours, continued to close in on the ewe. 

"Puppy! Please! This isn't you!" She yelped. "Snap out of it!"

The wolf continued his forward stalk, seemingly un-phased by the pleading lamb. When he was within no more than a few feet of Dawn, she held arms out in a last ditch attempt to protect herself. Turning away and closing her eyes tightly, she waited for the painful end to come.

But it never came. Instead, there was just empty silence. Even Vernon's growling had ceased. Dawn cautiously opened an eye to scan her surroundings for the familiar wolf, and immediately saw Vernon's own green eyes staring back at her. The yelp of fear died in her throat, escaping as little more than a whimper.

Vernon was looming over her, but his gaze had softened. He regarded Dawn with a curious expression. Bringing his muzzle close to the ewe's face, he sniffed her lightly causing Dawn to wince in fear. The wolf only brought his nose closer in response, taking several deep whiffs of the area around her neck and face. At one point a blast of air from his nose fogged up her glasses. Dawn remained still, too scared to even wipe the lenses.

As the fog cleared the wolf stopped his sniffing, seemingly satisfied with whatever he was trying to figure out. Vernon bared his teeth, and again Dawn's eyes snapped shut in preparation for the worst. However, instead of jagged teeth biting down on her neck she felt the wolf's lips gently press against her cheek. 

Her eyes flew open in surprise to find the wolf sitting normally in front of her, a smug grin plastered on his face. She stared in disbelief, had it all been a ruse?

"Vernon!" She sputtered angrily. " You jerk! That was terrible!" She swatted a hoof at him.

The wolf simply chuckled, leaning back in over the lamb and planting another kiss on her cheek.

"V-vernon?" Now Dawn was growing confused. The wolf's actions were becoming harder to gauge by the minute.

"I-If you think I-I" The wolf continued to trail kisses, now moving toward her muzzle. "I-I I'm going to f-forgive you that e-easily y-you-." The wolf was now getting dangerously close to her own lips. She placed her hooves on his shoulders and attempted to push him away.

"Puppy, what are yo-?" Was all she got a chance to ask before his lips met her own. Dawn's eyes went wide in shock. Vernon was kissing her, he was really kissing her! Her mind reeled. The connection felt like lightning, pulsing from her lips down her spine and back again. She almost lost herself in the sensation, but her rational mind pulled her back at the last second. She shoved the wolf away, severing the kiss.

"Puppy! We cant! We jus-" His lips were on hers again. She could feel her heart starting to pound vigorously. She pushed again, this time so weakly she barely cut the connection.

"Puppy, no, you'll-" Another kiss, another shove. "I'll ruin...we can't" She barely got the words out around the wolf's lips. She shoved again weakly, but this time she failed to break the kiss.

"Mhh!" She tried to speak. Her hooves were on his shoulders, trying to push but growing weaker by the second. It wasn't long before her arms fell away, shakily finding their way around the wolf's neck. Now she began to pull, attempting to bring Vernon in tighter.

"Mhhhhmm..." She moaned through the kiss, her eyes closing as she basked in the rush of sensations. The feeling was amazing, and she quavered under his spell. She tightened her grip, drawing the wolf in deeper. Vernon in turn wrapped his arms around the ewe, nearly cradling her in his embrace. Feeling herself lift off the floor slightly, the ewe felt the last furtive pleading of her rational mind tug at her again. As Vernon broke the seemingly eternal kiss, she found the where with all to try dissuading him again.

"P-puppy, if we do t-this-" The wolf began to trail kisses down her jaw line. "W-w-Ohhh...." She moaned as Vernon planted a few playful nips at the top of her neck.

She finally mustered enough force to push Vernon back. Confusion marred the wolf's face as he stared back at her.

"Puppy, if we do something like this there's no going back." She protested, trying to hide her slight panting. "It'll ruin your life! I don't want you destroying your future over me." She stared back at Vernon with pleading and sorrowful eyes. 

Vernon brought a paw to his chin and rolled his eyes as if musing over Dawn's words. Dawn was certain Vernon would come to his senses. As much as she wanted to be with him, she was certain he was not foolish enough to ruin his life over her no matter how stubborn he was. But instead of feeling the wolf place her gently back down, she instead felt his other paw return to cradle her back. He looked deep into Dawn's eyes in pure adoration.

"The only future I want is the one with you in it." Vernon chuckled, before burying his muzzle into her plunging neckline. She gasped at the sudden jolt of pleasure, and any further objections died in her throat.

Dawn purred, wrapping her arms around the wolf's head and clutching his fur. The last of her defenses had fallen, and she was done arguing. Dawn had desires, had needs she desperately wanted fulfilled. She wanted Vernon as badly as he wanted her, and she was done trying to stop it. As Vernon playfully nibbled on the exposed bit of collarbone sticking out of shirt, a shuddering bleat escaped her lips on bated breath.

"O-Oh Puppy..." She moaned. "Please..."

Dawn awoke covered from head to hooves in sweat. It took her a few moments to figure out exactly where she was and what was happening. She was back at the apartment, laying on the sofa in the darkened living room. The sun had set long ago, and the city outside was mostly slumbering. The only illumination in the room was the screen of the T.V. basking the chamber in a white light. It was still on the DVD menu for the movie "Get him to the Goat", which had ended long ago and continued to loop ad nauseam as she had slept. She had been watching it with Vernon.

"Vernon..." Her mind cooed. "VERNON!" She looked around wildly. Her search to find the wolf was brief. He was slumbering on the opposite end of the couch. Making the occasional errant twitch or yip that she had become accustomed to as his 'puppy dreams'.

Dawn sighed with relief, wiping her brow with her hoof. She was absolutely soaked through her nightgown in more ways than one. Dawn maneuvered herself off the couch, carefully putting her feet on the rug. As she attempted to put weight on them she nearly fell. Catching herself on the sofa arm, she propped herself into her standing position and attempted to wait out the trembling that wracked her legs. What had happened in that dream may have been Dawn's imagination, but the effects were earth shattering in real life. As Dawn stared at the sleeping wolf, she let out a amorous sigh.

Never in her life had she experienced a feeling quite like that, and her head was still swimming over it.

"I wonder..." She whispered to herself. "If it would really be that good..."

It was then that dawn's rational mind started to wake back up, and suddenly she became stricken with guilt and shame. The same thoughts started to brow beat her. 

'Vernon's my friend!' One thought screamed. 'You'd ruin his life!' Chimed another. She placed her hoof to her head in pain. 'You'd just hurt him like you hurt everyone else!' 'It's unnatural!' The cacophony of negative voices berated the ewe. But it was the last one that made the ewe clutch her heart as if it had been stabbed. 

'You don't deserve to be happy.' The last sentence killed the chorus. Dawn let go of the sofa arm, now standing in silence. Tears began to run down her face as she stared at Vernon's sleeping form.

"Tomorrow night..." She muttered. "At work....I-I'll." She bit her lip, trying to hold back sobs. "I'll tell Vernon I'm moving out." She whispered to herself.

After a few more moments of staring with longing, tearful eyes, Dawn tightly closed her eyes and balled her fists. The little ewe steeled herself, trying to bury the tears deep down. Gulping hard, she let out a final hard sniff and then a soft sigh.

She turned from the scene, and silently crept off toward her bedroom.

"Tomorrow night." She muttered one last time, and shut the door.


	13. I Need Some Sheep

Vernon awoke with a start. It was still dark out; he had fallen asleep much earlier than he had planned to. The room was lit by the T.V. screen which was still playing the DVD menu from the movie he and Dawn had watched earlier in the evening.

'Dawn.' He thought back to the dream he was having. The warm sunlit meadows of his family's ranch, curling up with Dawn on a picnic blanket, watching the stars. It was sweet, it was saccharine, and cliché, but it hadn't stopped Vernon from enjoying it. The very idea of taking Dawn to the ranch for a 'date' brought a goofy grin to his face. But his smile dropped as he remembered the explicit turn the dream had taken, the feeling of her wool pressed against his fur, the sensation of her hooves digging into his back, the adoration in her voice as she whispered sweet declarations of love. Vernon shook his head at the thoughts, now he remembered exactly why he woke up. He scanned the room for Dawn, but she had clearly left long before. However, her distinct scent was hanging in the air so thickly he could cut it with a knife. It was clear that his dream had been shaped by that intoxicating aroma.

"Aw hell..." The wolf muttered, slowly rising off the seat. With a sluggish walk he crossed the room and turned off the T.V.

"I'm just making things worse ain't I?" He asked himself. Vernon placed a paw behind his head and let out a deep sigh. "I wonder if she's up...maybe..." He paused. "maybe It's time we hash this out." 

The wolf began a quiet creep toward the hallway. As he approached the door of the ewe's room, he turned his head and cupped a paw to his ear. Gingerly he leaned it against the face of the door and listened intently. He was greeted by the soft sighs of sleep and the occasional bleat. Backing away from the door, his posture slouched to reflect his disappointment.

"Probably better I don't anyway." He muttered. "What was I thinking? There's no way Dawn would want to go for it." He shook his head dismissively. Vernon stared at the door for a few more moments before reluctantly turning away toward his own bedroom.

Slumping into the tangle of bed sheets, the wolf spent a frantic moment wrapping them haphazardly around himself. Once sufficiently balled up in his blanket he laid his head on his pillow and closed his eyes.

After a few moments the wolf turned to his left. A few more and he had turned back on his right, letting out an uncomfortable grunt. This back and forth continued for another few minutes before Vernon gave an irritated sigh. The wolf now lay on his back, staring at his ceiling with an annoyed expression. He placed a paw over his face.

" I shouldn't be trying to sleep now anyway." He groaned. "I'm gonna throw off my whole schedule."

Vernon placed both paws on his chest and let out a heavy sigh. He knew sleep would be impossible with thoughts of Dawn eating away at him. The situation was only growing more agonizing the longer he went without clearing the air. Now that he knew what he felt, and what he wanted, the desire to tell her was killing him. But with it came the equally painful, paralyzing fear of reprisals. If Dawn wouldn't return his feelings, or worse, considered them repulsive in spite of the pheromones Vernon would be crushed. And more than that, the last thing he wanted was to drive her away.

Vernon continued to stare at the ceiling, watching the dim shadows cast by rain on the window dance across it. 

"I won't lose her again." Vernon said quietly. His mind began to drift back to his childhood, and the last time he had ever seen Dawn.

He remembered spending recess showing Dawn his new 'Gamekit', which was actually a hand me down from his older brother. They had spent the whole time taking turns playing 'Pettris', trying to beat each other's scores.

Vernon chuckled to himself as he remembered. In the first few minutes of getting her hooves on the game Dawn had set the score so high that the rest of his turns were spent trying to top it. Whenever it came back to her turn she'd play at a greater difficulty to prevent making the score even harder to beat, but he couldn't even touch it. By the end of recess he'd mostly given up, and as the bell rang he prepared to leave for class.

"Wait Puppy!" The little ewe said, stopping the pup in his tracks.

"What is it Floofs?" He turned back to face the little ewe. She was twisting her foot awkwardly as she stared at the ground.

"I wanted...um..." She looked back up, adjusting her oversized glasses. "To give you a present...um...if that's okay?" 

Vernon smiled broadly, his tail starting to wag. "A present?" He asked excitedly. "A'course it's okay!"

"Okay...um" She reached into her pocket but stopped before pulling out whatever it was. She looked back at Vernon with a serious expression. "C-close your eyes and hold out your paw, 'kay?"   
Vernon nodded briskly, clamping his eyes tightly shut and extending his arm. He felt something slide onto his wrist, and then sag lightly as Dawn released it.

"Okay! Open your eyes!" She said cheerily.

Vernon opened his eyes and quickly brought his wrist to eye level. It was now adorned with a colorful bracelet, made up of various beads and letter blocks. He carefully grabbed it with his other paw and began to slowly spin the bracelet in order to read the words.

"Floofy's Best Friend?" He read out softly, his grin growing even wider.

"It's a friendship bracelet!" The ewe clapped her hooves together excitedly. "I made it just for you!' 

Vernon was in awe, remaining silent at first as he continued to regard the gift.

"I-I hope you l-like it." He turned his attention back to Dawn, who now looked incredibly nervous. She was twisting a hoof in the sand again.

"IT'S SO COOL!" The wolf practically shouted, giving the bracelet a playful spin around his wrist. His tail was wagging at a mile a minute as the smile returned to the little sheep's face.

"GREAT!" She replied happily. "Oh wait!" The ewe suddenly snapped her head back down, fishing another item out of her pocket. She adjusted her glasses again before putting the item in Vernon's paw.

It was a second bracelet, practically identical to his own aside from the writing. Vernon rotated it to read the words.

"Puppy's Best Friend." He read.

"Y-Yeah!" The little lamb was bouncing. "You put it on me! That way everyone will know we're best friends!" Vernon watched the little ewe close her eyes and extend her arm out to him expectantly. 

He carefully placed the second bracelet on the ewe's arm, allowing it to drape loosely from her wrist.

"Okay! Open 'em up!" Puppy replied.

The lamb opened her eyes and quickly checked her wrist before hopping with delight. She hugged her arm tightly, letting out an appreciative sigh.

Meanwhile Vernon's attention had turned back to the other students filing back toward the building.

"We better get goi-" He suddenly felt Dawn's hooves tightly wrap around him. At first he was surprised, but quickly he gave in to the hug, returning it with an equally powerful squeeze.

The hug was brief, and as soon as he returned it Dawn broke away, beginning a brisk jog back to the school building.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" She yelled back to Vernon.

Vernon simply waived in a half daze. The hug had left a funny feeling in his chest, and filled his stomach with butterflies. At that young an age, the wolf had no idea what that meant. Looking back on it now Vernon knew that it was the start of a playful little crush, one that had never been given the chance to blossom.

Dawn was absent the next day, and the day after, and so on. For the first few days young Vernon thought nothing of it. In the relatively short time his friendship had developed with the ewe, she tended to turn up absent for at least three or four days a month. When she returned she was usually sporting new bruise. He found it odd that Floofy got hurt so often considering she didn't run around like he did, his youthful naivety chalking it up to simple clumsiness.

Vernon tightened his grip on his sheets and growled as he thought of the true nature of Dawn's injuries. If he ever had the 'pleasure' of meeting 'Ol Papa Bellwether he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to restrain himself. The opportunity to teach that nasty old ram what it was like to be small and defenseless like his poor daughter was under his hoof was far too appealing to pass up. 

But unless Papa Bellwether planned on showing up to the apartment at four in the morning for a surprise visit Vernon found it a waste to get all riled up. And with that realization the wolf expelled the surge of anger with a heavy sigh. Vernon placed his paws back on his chest and continued to dwell on what happened after Dawn had gone.

It was around the second week when his brother Wade broke the news to him about his friend. Wade was in the same class as Dawn, and heard the teacher discussing that Dawn had been pulled from the school and that she wasn't going to come back. Vernon's response was what you'd expect of a wounded third grader. He called his brother a liar among other childish insults, refusing to believe his words. The little pup assumed his slightly older brother was just jealous of the relationship he had with the sheep. Wade, always the calm brother, never raised his voice once during the whole thing, which only further agitated Vernon. Eventually the pup grew too frustrated to continue arguing, finally breaking into tears and running off to hide in his 'secret place'.

His 'secret place' was in fact, the bedroom closet of the pup's shared room. While it wasn't completely quiet, it offered privacy when the little wolf needed it most. It was somewhere the wolf could hide his tears without his brothers catching and ruthlessly mocking him. And so Vernon had dragged his bedspread into the closet, balled himself up in it, and proceeded to cry his little eyes out. His mind was filled with painful questions that he was too young to figure out the proper answers to.' Why had Dawn left? Was it because of him? Had he done something wrong?' 

The bracelet, which hadn't left his wrist in the two weeks since it had been placed there only added to the volley of questions. His eyes squinted through the hot tears as he inspected it, his mind desperately trying to reason why she had given it to him in the first place. Had the ewe meant what she said, that they were 'best friends'? Despite the pups lack of knowledge of worldly things, something deep inside told him that she had. A gut feeling that burned through the tears. But with it came the more terrifying thought that he really might never see the lamb again, and he still was no closer to answering the 'why'.

Dinner that evening at the Hunter Ranch was the usual rowdy affair, seven pups scrambling to devour whatever was on their plates before their other brothers could steal from them. Ma and Pa Hunter trying futilely to keep some semblance of order, only to give up about half-way through. However, Vernon was completely despondent. He lamely picked at the salmon dinner, and didn’t protest as his brothers snatched large portions off his plate. It didn’t take long for his Father to notice the change in the pup’s demeanor, and broach the subject.

“Vern son?” His Father asked.

Vernon didn’t even look up from his plate, still idly playing with what little remained of his food.

“Vernon?” His Dad spoke a bit louder in an effort to demand attention.

His Father, Dorian Hunter had always been an intimidating wolf. There was something in the way he carried himself that seemed to demand the respect of every mammal he came across. Maybe it was his icy white fur, his steely grey eyes, his towering size, or perhaps all of these things together that created such an intense image. Even now, though Vernon had become the tallest member of the pack, his Father still exuded an energy that made him seem a towering figure. But despite the cold, cool exterior his Father had always been soft at heart. He was easy going, kind, and slow to anger but firm when he needed to be. Vernon wagered he inherited a great deal of his own easygoing personality from that wolf.

The pup could feel those steely grey eyes on him as he weakly raised his head to look at Dorian, making no attempt to hide his glum expression. His Father's look of concern only deepened at the sight.

“Y’all right son? You’re looking a bit blue.” His Father put down his utensils, now keenly focused on Vernon.

Vernon mumbled a nearly inaudible response, the only word he could remember coming out clearly was the word 'fine'.

“The runt’s just upset because his little grazer girlfriend moved away!” The mocking voice belonged to his brother Yuri, who had a knack for being insufferable at times.

Vernon shot up out his seat and slammed his paws on the table, baring his teeth and snarling at the other pup.

“SHUT UP YURI YOU BUTT SNIFFER!” Vernon’s voice cracked as he yelled.

“Yuri!” Dorian snapped sharply at the other pup. “Don’t rile your brother up, and you know better than to use the ‘g’ word like that!” The large wolf scolded. Turning back to Vernon, he weaved the concerned tone back into his voice. "And Vernon, you shouldn't call your brother names."

“Your little sheep friend moved away?” Vernon's Mother interjected. Her voice tinged with a sad tone.

His Mother, Audrey Hunter was a sharp contrast to her husband. She was a somewhat smaller wolf, with a grey and white pelt much like Vernon's, and deep amber colored eyes. She had been known for being a real spitfire of a she-wolf, jumping into things before giving them a second thought. She was willing to fight tenaciously for those she cared about, none more so than her own pups. But she was also sweet and understanding, and that was reflected in the sympathetic look she was giving the pup.

Vernon looked at her with shining eyes, he was trying to hold back more tears. “I-I…” His ears sagged as he sat back down, his eyes back on the nearly empty plate. “I don’t know. W-Wade said-“

“Teacher said her family pulled her from the school.” Wade interrupted.

“Oh honey…” Vernon’s Mother cooed. Vernon felt her paw come to rest on his shoulder as the she-wolf began to rub it reassuringly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Well that doesn’t mean she moved away, maybe it’s time we set up a play date for you two.” Vernon heard his Father add.

Vernon bounced back at the remark. His ears perked and his tail wagged furiously. He quickly stood in his chair, his eyes now fixated on his Father. Vernon hadn't considered this. If Dawn still lived in the Meadowlands they could go over each others houses and play. To the pup, it was an even better prospect then just playing with the ewe at recess.

“REALLY!?” Vernon yelped excitedly.

His Father smiled broadly. “Sure thing. What was her name again? Dawn somethin' or other?”

“Dawn Wether-something. The other kids called her ‘Smellwether’.” Wade added.

Vernon watched the smile drop from his Father’s face, replaced with a deeply saddened expression. However he was stalwart in his excitement, he didn't quite follow why his Father's mood seem to drop.

“Bellwether?” Audrey asked Wade with concern. The pup simply nodded in response.

Vernon’s Father let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his muzzle with his paw. The whole reaction was starting to confuse the poor pup.

“Vern…” His Father said sadly. “I-er….didn’t know your friend was a Bellwether.”

Vernon was far too young to understand why a mammals last name could matter at all, and the added confusion only served to make the pup more frustrated.

“Why?” Vernon asked, his voice becoming more of a whine.

His Father heaved another sigh. Turning to look at his wife, the two wolves shared a sullen look before Dorian continued.

“Son…” He started, unease in his voice. “The Bellwether’s well…” The wolf cleared his throat awkwardly. “They don’t really care much for predators.”

Vernon’s tail slowed to a stop, and a frown began work it's way across his muzzle.

“Wolves especially.” Audrey added, placing a paw on her husband's.

“B-but why?” Vernon asked in bewilderment.

The two wolves exchanged a knowing glance. The dinner table had long fallen silent under the tone of the conversation. Even if they didn't understand it, it seemed the other pup's innately knew something was wrong and that it was best to stay silent. At least that was as far as Vernon could tell in retrospect. It was either that, or he had become so focused that he couldn't hear anyone other than his parents. Eventually Audrey turned to Vernon, placing a paw on one of his. Her eyes were shimmering, as if she were going to cry.

“Well honey, you remember when Mommy told you a long time ago that wolves used to eat sheep?” She asked.

“But wolves don’t do that anymore!” Vernon responded pleadingly.

“And they haven’t for eons.” Dorian added. “But, the Bellwether’s tend to think that any mammal that used to prey on another is well…is less than a mammal." He coughed with clear discomfort. "Especially the one’s that used to prey on their kind.” 

Vernon felt his own tears brimming to the surface again. “B-But Floofy isn’t like that! She likes me! She knows I would nev-“

“I’m sure she does son, I’m sure she does….” Dorian's words trailed. He turned his gaze away from the pup, his ears sagging. “But..." The wolf sighed. "Chances are her father didn’t know who she was playing with. Once he found out who you were, I reckon he pulled her out of school to separate you.” He said somberly.

Vernon’s ears drooped. His face twisted in confusion as the tears began to flow again. 

“Bu-But maybe- sniff-if her parents met me…” Vernon was pleading now, anything to give him an ounce of hope.

“Vernon.” His Father sighed. “The Bellwether family has been rallying against predator’s since Zootopia was founded. When I was your age they were trying to get tame collars out of the prisons and onto every pred on the street. Thankfully that drunk of a son Aster didn’t get into politics or who knows what they’d be pushing for next. They don’t care how nice you are, or how friendly you are. To them...” His Father paused, seemingly almost too pained to continue. “We’re nothing but mindless monsters.”

That was it; the last of Vernon’s hope was extinguished in that instant. The wolf simply slid his food aside, and slumped on the table. He felt his Mother’s paw start to rub his back.

“Oh sweetie, there are plenty of other nice sheep you can pl-“

Vernon didn’t let her finish the sentence before pulling away. He looked at her with anger burning in his eyes, before running from the dinner table and back to his secret place. That was the last thing the little wolf was willing to hear. He didn’t want another sheep to be his friend, he wanted his Floofy.

Over the next two weeks the pup remained despondent. At recess he kept to himself, sitting on a swing playing his Gamekit, and at home he tended to hide away as far as he could from his brothers. But beneath the seemingly emotionless surface a rage was beginning to build. The unfairness of the whole situation was eating at him. It was his first true experience with prejudice, or at least the first one the young pup could properly register, and it completely destroyed his childish understanding of the world. Zootopia was supposed to be a place where anyone could be anything, and the young pup had taken that to mean that anyone could also be friends with anyone. But he and Dawn were not allowed to play together despite the fact that they didn’t care what animal the other was. The little pup was seething as he wondered how the world could be so cruel.

It was at the end of the second week when Vernon's emotions came to a head. While sitting alone at recess, he spotted that Oryx boy who was picking on Dawn months before. This time he was picking on a little otter girl. He jeered at the small mammal as he raised her lunchbox just out of her reach. 

The wolf was on him in the blink of an eye, taking out all of his anger and frustration out on the Oryx. Before, Vernon used restraint when dealing with a bully. His Father had taught all of the pups how to subdue a mammal using non violent tactics as part of what he called 'pre-police training'. But now he ignored it all, lost in a whirlwind of blind fury. The wolf’s claws were out, and he scratched at the boys face fiercely, causing him to shriek in pain. Vernon simply snarled in response to his squeals like one of his feral ancestors. He was tired of mammals like this Oryx, mammals like Mr. Bellwether who judged others based on their pelt, based on their teeth. If they were looking for a predator to be afraid of, Vernon was now happy to oblige.

It had taken two teachers to pull Vernon off the boy, and by the end of it the young Oryx had needed two sets of stitches. Vernon found himself suspended from school for a week after that little stint, and his parents took it further by grounding the little wolf for a month. However Vernon had already made his choice, he was going to be vicious, and he was going to put the scare into every bully he ever came across. Every judgmental mammal was going to meet the wolf from their nightmarish imagination.

Vernon had told Dawn that after she left that he had continued to get into fights, but he had really undersold just how bad they were. The mammals he protected had good reason to be scared of the wolf after he knocked whatever bully that was mocking them senseless. Vernon would work himself into a violent froth, scratching and biting. It was true he didn't win every fight, but many of his opponents left the fight with permanent scars. 

His parents did everything they could to try to steer him back on track, but Vernon openly defied their attempts. The suspensions, the groundings, the punishments, even his own Mother's tearful pleading did little to sway the wolf back on the right path. He was feared, he was what the world saw him as, and he told himself he was satisfied with that.

But in truth he felt empty. He really had stopped caring about friends, or anything really sociable. And living the life of the stereotypical wolf didn't seem to be filling that void the way he thought it would. As time went on the feeling of guilt was growing stronger within him. He was hurting his parents, he was hurting his family, he was hurting innocent mammals. The anger could only keep the guilt and shame at bay for so long.

It was the first day at high school, the day he met Gustav Hornsly that he finally broke down. A now considerably taller Vernon entered the boys bathroom to find the lanky goat on the receiving end of a particularly nasty swirly at the paws of some spindly punk cheetah. 

In a practically involuntary reaction the wolf grappled the cheetah by the throat in a flash, using his other free paw to restrain the cat's wrists. He slammed the spotted feline hard against the bathroom mirror, creating a massive spider-crack along the pane. As the wolf stared daggers into the cheetah's terrified eyes, snarling ferociously, his peripheral vision caught sight of his reflection.

The many splintered panels revealed a terrifying monster, a savage and primal beast the likes of which Vernon could no longer recognize. It nearly took him a moment to realize that he was staring at himself. A slavering beast, nothing more than a mindless and violent predator. He was just as bad if not worse than any prejudiced mammal could ever imagine. It was then that reason finally reached him, extinguishing the anger he had felt for so long with a simple question.

"Is this what I really want to be?" 

His glance shifted again to catch the reflection of the soaked and terrified goat with the broken horn. His fearful eyes causing the wolf to falter. Vernon felt tears begin to rise to the surface. This wasn't who he was, he didn't care what society thought wolves were like. He had to live his life the way he wanted to, and that was going to start right now.

The arm holding the cheetah began to tremble, and finally abruptly released him. After falling to the floor hard, the cat darted out of the bathroom in terror. Vernon didn't even acknowledge him, the tears now streaming steadily from his face. The large wolf leaned over the sink and quietly sobbed to himself. The guilt and shame was hitting him all at once, and he was awash with self-loathing. It was after a few moments he suddenly felt a hoof gently pat him on the back.

The wolf spun around sharply to see the familiar goat, who winced reflexively at the wolf's speed. Vernon just stared at him, making no attempt to hide the tears flowing from his eyes. He was surprised the odd little billy goat hadn't long since fled.

"Hey mam, I-It's okay." The goat said shakily.

The wolf simply sniffed hard in an attempt to draw back the tears. A proper response was unfathomable at this point.

"T-thanks for saving me back there." The goat scratched his head awkwardly.

The wolf turned to face the mirror and looked down at the sink, his tears dripping into the pool at the bottom.

"I'm sorry." Vernon finally uttered. "I'm so sorry..."

Again he felt the hoof on his back, this time he didn't turn to face the goat.

"I'm Gustav Hornsly, but you can call me Gus. I'm new around here." He heard the goat say.

"Vernon Hunter." The wolf sniffled hard. Trying to choke back a sob.

A few moments of silence passed before Gus piped up again.

"H-hey, if you want, I won't tell anyone what happened in here okay? I've cried in public more times than I want to admit. It'll be our secret, Senior Ranger Scouts honor!" The goat said.

Vernon looked at himself in the mirror again. The beast was gone, and as he wiped his eyes he felt relief wash over him. It was finally time for Vernon to take back his life. Vernon turned to the goat and smiled weakly at him.

"I-I'd...." He sniffled. "I'd really appreciate that." He replied.

Gus smiled back, extending a hoof to the large wolf. Vernon reluctantly took it and shook.

"Y-y'know." The goat coughed awkwardly. "Now that everything's calmed down, I have to tell you how awesome that was. You were like some kind of superhero dude."

Vernon smiled. "Pft...there was nothing heroic about that, I assure you."

"That's a shame, cause I was hoping you could do that to some other guys for me." The goat was now holding back a chuckle.

"Not a chance bub, that was the last one for me." Now Vernon was chuckling.

"Aw pizzles." Gus broke into a full on laugh, which Vernon joined in shortly after.

The next day Vernon fessed up to the incident in the bathroom, omitting the part regarding his tears, and offered to work after school to pay for the damages. His friendship forged with Gus would be the first of many, but it was the stepping stone to recovery. He made amends with his parents and the incident in the bathroom marked the end of his career as a 'real wolf''. Thinking back on it now, Vernon was grateful that he managed to turn things around before it was too late. But the fact still stood that losing Dawn had dealt a major blow to his childhood development. And while losing her today wouldn't cause him to go 'savage', it would still leave him a crumpled mess of a wolf.

With a grunt Vernon was up again, sitting at the edge of his bed. The trip down memory lane had proven mentally exhausting, and the wolf felt the need to seek comfort in a hot drink. Vernon shuffled his way down the hall and back toward the kitchen. After spending a few minutes setting up a pot of decaf coffee, he sat down and waited for it to percolate.

The wolf leaned on his paw, taking a great comfort in the bubbling noises of the coffeemaker carrying across the silent apartment. But the comfort was suddenly shattered when an unexpected cluttering made him nearly jump out of his pelt. 

Vernon quickly scanned the counter to find the source of the noise, which appeared to be coming from a familiar lavender tinted phone. The screen blinked for a few moments, displaying a prompt that read '1 message received'.

"That's odd." The wolf mused. "Who sends a text at..." The wolf lingered on his words, turning to catch the clock on the stove. "Four thirty-five A.M.?" He muttered, scratching his chin.

As the machine finished the decaffeinated brew, the wolf went about pouring himself a steaming mug. He gave the phone another glance before ultimately deciding to ignore it. Dawn's matter's were her own, and to Vernon it would be improper to snoop despite the odd nervous feeling the pending message was giving him. He dutifully continued to ignore it as he slowly enjoyed the hot drink, turning his attention to the living room windows. The rain was letting up, and soon he'd be watching the first rays of the morning sun usher in another bustling day in Zootopia.

It was when the Carrot Phone started to ring however, that Vernon could no longer ignore the urge to see exactly who was trying to get a hold of Dawn. Shakily, the wolf wrapped his paw around the ewe's phone, pressed the answer button, and brought the phone to his ear.


	14. Another Sleepless Canid

Nick Wilde sat in his worn leather recliner, staring with tired eyes at the white board across from him. He wanted desperately to sleep, but his inner nocturnal nature refused to allow it tonight. It was in rare form, spurred on by the numerous unanswered case questions that were scribbled on the board before him. The last few weeks had seen the seemingly simple Stoat Case grow considerably more complex. Finnick's continued undercover work revealed that the counterfeiting, which was previously thought to have only started when Stoat arrived in Zootopia, had been going on for at least two years prior. Whoever the stoat had trusted to disseminate the funds throughout the city was a real pro, and finding a dedicated suspect or suspects was proving to be difficult. A more thorough inspection revealed the fake Zbucks were turning up at every level, with seemingly no source. It was only when Stoat arrived in the city, and took the operation back onto himself, had he gotten sloppy.

The shipments of fake cash had led to the arrests of several small time crooks, but the source of the bulk distribution remained unaccounted for. The ZPD didn't even have a name for the mammal, or mammals who had been Stoat's primary aide, or more importantly why they were helping him in the first place. 

Things improved somewhat after Judy confronted Dawn at the Bug-Burga. While unrelated to the case, it seemed having that off the rabbits mind filled her with renewed vigor and enthusiasm for the Stoat Case. With his partner back at full working capacity, and some significant scrounging they were finally able to pull a name.

"AD Laboratories" The fox muttered to himself. His paws near his mouth, he twiddled his index finger together as he mulled over the name for the millionth time.

One of the recovered notepads from Stoat's office had yielded the name. It had been one of several, and it was blank, or at least it appeared to be. It was Judy who noticed the indentations on the paper, and used a pencil to draw out the writing that Stoat had tried to hide. AD Laboratories and a no longer connected phone number were the only useful items produced, but it was finally progress.

The progress was short lived however, and the duo found themselves against yet another wall when trying to follow up the new lead. 'AD Laboratories', for all intents and purposes, didn't exist. There wasn't a business with the name, nor an internet presence, nary a scrap of information on the nebulous I.D.. The fox couldn't tell if it was a pseudonym or a code, and if it represented one mammal or an organization. Judy was just as much at a loss as he was, opting for arranging to further press Stoat for information now that they had a name.  
They tried to set up a time at Outback Island Prison to grill him, but were met multiple times with last minute rescheduling from the prison staff. The reasons varied from badly timed shift changes, to the ermine ending up in the infirmary after a fight broke out in the yard. Nick found it odd that the tiny ermine would participate in a fight considering his size and cowardice. When they had apprehended him he immediately surrendered, pleading for amnesty. But Nick pushed out the minor implausibility at the time.

It was only when they were just a few days away from finally getting some time with the stoat when things took an even more suspicious turn. Nick remembered Bogo calling them into the office and informing them of the deceased Evard Stoat. Apparently he had died in his cell overnight, the autopsy report stating he had died of sudden cardiac arrest. Bogo didn't have anything else for them, stating he 'was just as much at a loss of where to go from here as they were.'

Nick and Judy found it to be far too suspicious to let it go. Stoat's medical history showed no signs of any previous heart problems, and the autopsy photos of his face revealed a mammal who hadn't just died in fear, but in rage. Someone had clearly silenced him, shut him up before they could get to him. 

The two had spent the last few hours arguing as to whether or not it was a fellow inmate, or a guard who had planted himself in the prison and was working for this mysterious company. The argument had continued on the way home from the precinct, and well into the evening in their home office. They had spent the last few hours going over the clues and scribbling leads onto the large white boards, trying to find some stone they hadn't turned over. Something they had missed. But now, with Stoat's death the duo found themselves even further in the dark than before.

Nick turned to look over at the sleeping rabbit on the loveseat across from him. She was splayed haphazardly across the cushions, allowing an arm to hang freely off one side. Her mouth was slack as she snored softly. Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Carrot's was always a messy sleeper, but never more so than when she conked out while working a case. It reminded him of the way little kits tended to nod off at random, in the most bizarre positions, but still somehow managed to look so comfortable. He felt the urge to just snuggle up to her, wrapping his arms around her little frame and kissing her on the top of her head.

The fox shook his head in an effort to dismiss the notion. The kiss was a little to far for his liking, and he wanted to keep his head on straight. Still the Stoat Case was offering little distraction as there was still nothing he could glean from the clues.

Giving a heavy sigh, the fox rose to his feet and walked over to the nearest whiteboard. Giving it a spin to the blank side, he began to scribble down notes for another case he had been ignoring, the Bellwether Arson Case.

While he really didn't hate the ewe, he hadn't done much work on it. The main reason being that he was doing his best to keep it from Judy. He didn't want to keep it from his partner, but the risk that it would draw her back into that whole history was far too great. Bunnies were fairly 'emotional' after all, and her ability to separate her emotions from the victim could be compromised. It would have also most likely distracted her from the rest of her job, and could get her hurt, and that was the last thing Nick wanted.

A loud sudden snore cause Nick to wince and try to cover the board. He turned to see that the rabbit had shifted, with her back now facing the fox. Her slender body rising and falling with each breath. The fox found his eyes tracing her form. The rabbit was in nothing more than an oversized ZPD academy shirt and a pair of carrot covered panties, and the turn had hiked the hem of the shirt high enough to make out her adorably fluffy tail, and her perfectly shaped rump. Nick swallowed hard, slapping a paw to his face to snap himself out of his lurid daze. Returning to the board he began to go over the clues again.

There had been very little evidence that wasn't reduced to ash in relation the case. Some glass fragments from the fire bomb, a handful of hoof prints, and a few errant clumps of charred wool. The glass shards seemed to come from a standard wine bottle, although the make was impossible to discern. Even if they had narrowed it down to a specific brand any mammal could have picked it up from anywhere, even a dumpster. The prints and wool could have easily come from Dawn herself, especially with the nebulous nature of hoof prints and wool cuts. Unlike most mammals, hooved animals didn't tend to leave patterns that could be linked to a specific cervine or caprid. The best one could do is a size match, and that wasn't exactly concrete evidence. As for the wool, Nick could order a DNA test, but it would take too long and probably end up a dead end. It may have been far too damaged to get a proper match, and even so it was most likely Dawn's.

The fox had thoroughly ran down the list of close suspects. It was unlikely that Dawn herself staged the attack, as there was nothing to gain from it. The same went for the landlord. The most promising suspect, Vernon Hunter, had turned up with just as clean motives as the others. Working at Bug Burga, currently enrolled in ZU, all mundane and standard stuff. The wolf had seemed to suffer a bit of a rough patch in middle school, but other that he appeared to be on the up and up. What's more, nearly all of his family had turned out to be involved in law enforcement in some form or another. The previous day Nick had even went out of his way to contact Vernon's brother, Officer Wade Hunter at the Tundratown precinct, and was given a glowing character reference for ' ol Puppy'. 

After that, the list of suspects became well...everybody in the city. And what made it worse was the frequent check-ins from the ewe's parole officer. Nick was getting a text from the old bear every few days inquiring on the status of the case. He seemed to be very invested in the lamb's well being, and it was becoming a bit grating.   
Nick even checked his background for kicks, just in case the old bear had done it and was trying to establish an alibi. Again, Polaraski was just another dead end. Nick knew there had to be something he was missing, something his eyes weren't seeing.

"Mhhh....Nick..." The fox froze. Turning slowly to peer at the bunny. She was clearly still sleeping, but he was sure he had heard his name.

"C-Carrots?" He whispered softly.

There was no reply, and the silence in the room became deafening. The fox lingered, waiting for something, anything. But the silence remained uninterrupted, and he reluctantly tried to shrug off what he thought he'd heard. The fox turned to the nearby desk and opened a drawer, revealing the envelope of evidence for the case. Grasping it tightly, he opened the envelope and placed each smaller bag of evidence, and the picture of the prints on the desk top. He eyed the wool, the prints, and the glass sharply.

"There's gotta be so-"

"Kiss me Nick..." 

The foxes ears were standing on end. He was damn sure he heard that. Turning around Judy's form remained un-changed, still steeped in slumber.

"Mhh...Sly bunny, sexy fox." The rabbit cooed.

Nick eyes were wide, and he could feel the sweat forming on his brow.

"Ju-judes?" He muttered in a half wheeze. 

The rabbit simply sighed comfortably, winding her shoulders in an effort to ease her muscles.

The fox began to reach out to her, his paw shaking as it got closer to her. When it was just inches away the rabbit suddenly turned back around to face him. She was still asleep, but it was enough to send the fox sprinting out of the room in a panic. Now in the hallway, his back against the wall he clutched his chest. He was out of breath despite the short jaunt, the tension wrapped around his heart was stealing his breath.

"D-Does Judy..." He panted quietly to himself. "Does she want me?" 

Clearly to Nick, the rabbit was dreaming. Anything can happen in a dream and you'll just go with it generally. He was reminded of the dream he once had where he was being intimate with a vixen made entirely of blueberries. It was weird yes, but it was proof that what happens in dream doesn't mean you want it to happen in real life. Still he couldn't figure out if he should wake her, confront her, or simply let it be. 

There was only one mammal he could ask about this kind of thing, and it was time to call. Checking his phone, the time read four twenty-three A.M.. For a moment he hesitated, it was fairly late after all.

"Ah rut it." He muttered, hitting the dial button. "I'll deal with the fallout later. This is important."

The phone rang once, then twice, then a third time. It was on the tail of the fourth ring that the call was finally answered.

"Nick..." He heard and deep and bleary rumble. "It's four in the morning 'mam, this better be important."

"Hey Finn my boy." Nick put on his facade, hiding how shaken up he really was.

The response was silence, and after a few moments Nick felt it best to simply press on.

"Listen, I was wondering if um..." Nick drew out his words, reluctant to get to the matter at paw. "I could get your advice on something." He asked.

"I'm hanging up." Finnick muttered.

"Wait! Wait! It's serious mam, c'mon help your old Papa out." The fox pleaded.

"Do you want me to hang up Nick? 'Cause you making it more and more temptin' 'mam." Finn replied coldly.

"It's about Carrots." The fox said nervously.

"Oh here we go..." Finnick muttered.

"C'mon Finn I need you." Nick replied, clasping the phone with both paws.

There was silence, followed by the quiet murmurs of a conversation going on in the background.

"Aw, he sounds like he needs you Mi Pequeño Amor, help him." Nick heard a feminine voice in the background.

"F-finn? You got company over?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, I do." Finnick replied bluntly.

"Uh-uh.." Nick felt uneasy knowing he had an audience. "Tell her I'm sorry Finn, I had no idea."

"It's okay Nick, I'll make myself scarce while the two of you talk." The voice replied, having clearly heard the fox. The accent was oddly familiar but Nick couldn't place it. 

"Adios, Nick." Were the last words she said before Finn returned.

"Alright, I'm up. Let's get this over with." Finn growled.

Nick gulped, now that he had Finnick's ear he was a bit nervous to continue. Despite his best efforts to keep his cool, the facade was cracking. 

"Well...um. I-" He stammared.

"Nick, I have work in less than two hours, can we speed this up?" Finnick growled.

"Well, Carrots is asleep right now." Nick stated.

"Lucky her." Finnick snapped.

"And she's...well...she's" Nick swallowed hard. "She's dreaming about me."

"I take back what I said earlier." Finn joked.

Nick ignored him and pressed on. "She's talking to me, I mean...in her sleep. The dream me."

"And?" Finn responded.

"Well, based on what she's saying, It er..." Nick paused. "Seems like she's dreaming about..." He tried to finish the sentence but the words refused to come.

"Rutting you like a mad hare in heat?" Finnick's trademark bluntness finished the sentence for him, albeit a bit more colorful than Nick would have liked.

"What should I do Finn?" Nick asked, a slight pleading tone in his voice.

He could hear Finn sigh deeply before continuing. "Look Nick, I don't know what to tell you. I mean, we've had this conversation before." The edge on Finnick's voice had eased. It was clear he was actually listening now.

"I know Finn, I know." Nick muttered.

"And you remember what I said every time before, yeah?" Finnick asked.

"Just be straight with her, tell her how you feel." Nick replied as if reading from a cue card, the little fennec's words etched into his mind.

"You and Judy are tight 'mam, even tighter than we are and I regret to say we've known each other since we were kits." Finn chuckled.

"Yeah." Nick replied flatly.

"Ever since her accident you knew you wanted to be with her, like one hundred percent right?" Finn asked.

Nick nodded softly before remembering the little fox couldn't see him. "Y-yeah." He mumbled sadly.

"If I were you, I would have told her right then. But we can't all be an alpha like me." He could imagine the fennec's smug grin on the other end of the line as he said it. Nick felt a retort coming on, but he bit his tongue. He needed to hear him out. Finn's laugh subsided, and after clearing his throat he pressed on.

"Look." Finnick said. "Even if old long ears doesn't feel the same way, and I really doubt that, you can't keep living like this 'mam."

"I know, why do you think I'm asking your advice right now?" Nick replied bluntly.

"You already know what I'm gonna say. You just want someone to get you fired up enough to tell her. Only you'll completely fall apart when you face her just like every other time." He snapped.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence pal." Nick replied sarcastically.

"I'm only saying it because it's happened every time before." There was no edge in Finn's reply, he simply stated a fact. A fact that Nick regretted to admit was true.

"Yeah..." Nick mumbled, nearly inaudible.

"She likes you 'mam, she's got it just as bad. I've seen it in the way she looks at you, how close she gets to you. You guys spend nearly every waking moment together. That's not a normal friendship, not even close." Finnick said.

Nick knew he was right, he always was when it came to this. But Nick had a great thing going these past four some odd years. Was it really worth risking it all, even if she felt the same?

"But if she says yes, and things don't work out..." Nick trailed.

"So they don't work out." Finn replied. "Better to have tried and failed then to have never known whether it would have worked or not."

"But she's prey, and I'm-"

"Stow it." Finn snapped. "So what, you gotta go for what makes you happy. And the two of you will be happy together, I can tell 'mam. Now either mark or get off the bush."

Nick was about to respond, but the fox cut him off.

"And don't bring up work neither, I know the books don't have a single rule about inter-office dating. Face it 'mam, you got no excuse. You gotta live like Gabbi's song said, from a few years back."

Nick scrunched his muzzle in confusion. "Who's Gabbi?"

He heard Finnick cough uncomfortably on the other end. "Er, I mean Gazelle. Y'know, Try everything and all that jazz."

Nick swallowed hard. "Y-your right." He wiped his brow. "I'm gonna do it. I'll tell her."

"Good." Finn replied. "So when you gonna call me about this again, I'd prefer a little warning next time."

Nick laughed. "Okay, okay. If I don't do it this time I'll pay for the pizza for the next six poker nights. Deal?" Nick asked.

"Deal." Finn replied

"Alright, well I'm gonna get back to these Case notes, I'm gonna be up for a while." Nick said.

"Jeeze Nick, you two got to leave that shit at work 'mam. It's like you are married to the job." Finn laughed.

"Hey we keep it to one night off a week, I swear. In a weird way it's sort of invigorating." Nick replied.

"Yeah, well..." The fennec trailed off. "Oh, that reminds me. Got something new on the Stoat Case."

Nick's interest shifted and his eyes lit up. He was hungry for any scrap of evidence he could get.

"Yeah? Yeah?" He asked excitedly.

"Well the city camera network didn't turn up too much, you know how they only store six months worth of footage before it records over the old stuff?" Finnick asked.

"Right?" Nick responded.

"Well we found some footage of the last boat to arrive before Stoat came." Finnick stated. "We lost the trucks carrying the shipment in the city, apparently they have a pretty good idea of where all of the network blind spots are. But, we could see the shipment being unloaded at the dry dock."

"So what were they shipping in, more fake Zbucks?" Nick was on edge now, waiting on baited breath for some dramatic and revealing clue.

"Don't know, the boxes had no obvious labeling, and the guys moving the packages were impossible to identify." Finn stated.

"How so?" Nick asked.

"Well that's the interesting part, the crew were wearing hazmat suits." Finnick said.

"Wait, why?" Now Nick was confused, surely there were better ways to hide your identity.

"Again, I'm not really sure. But as it turns out, whatever was in those crates were carried on a refrigerated barge. That means whatever they were bringing in could spoil."

Nick was at a loss, this was a massive clue, but it still gave him little to work with. What could these suspects be importing that required refrigeration and hazmat suits? Whatever the reason, it was at the very least something to add to the pile of clues.

"I hope that helps, cause I can't get anything more from it." Finn added.

"Y-yeah, I think it does Finn." The fox replied, scratching his chin as he reflected over the new information.

"Well...I should let you go. I've kept you up long enough. A growing boy needs his sleep after all." Nick slid back into his usual demeanor without missing a beat, he was ready to get back to work and needed to wrap up this call quickly.

"Pftt...I'm going to kick you in the shin next time I see you, so remember why." Finn snarled.

"Okay bud, gonna hang up now." Nick said, half ignoring the little foxes threat.

"Hey wait!" Finn caught Nick as he was seconds away from hitting the end call button.

"What?" Nick asked.

"When you do talk to Judy..." Finn lingered, seemingly uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "Tell her those photos were of my lady all right? We were fooling around, I don't creep ladies ya get me?"

"Why Finn." Nick feigned a shocked response. "You are with a gazelle, the scandal! I never took you for a prey chaser." The fox chuckled.

"Ain't that the pot-" Finnick stopped himself, letting out a sigh. "Look, this girl is important to me and I want it to work, I don't need your girl bringing an inquisition down on who I'm with. She's a very private mammal."

"Wait...what do you mean?" Nick said, confusion marking his voice.

"Just do it for me, okay?" Finn snapped. In the background, the fox could barely hear the sound of Finnick's lady friend. She was singing the lyrics to some song, something he knew he had heard recently. It sounded so familiar and yet he couldn't place it.

"Alright fine, I swear I will." Nick replied, giving up on trying to suss out just who Finn was with.

"Night Nick." Finn replied.

"Morning Finn." And with that, Nick ended the call. 

Placing his phone back in his pocket, the fox moseyed his way back to the office. Judy hadn't moved since he left, and remained soundly asleep. Uncapping a marker, he flipped the board again and added the new information to the Stoat chart. It seemed to make the whole affair more confusing, but deep down the fox felt as though he were on the cusp of major breakthrough. It might take a day or two to get the new footage, but he was sure either he or Judy would be able to find the final clue buried somewhere in it. As he finished scribbling the last of the notes down, he felt a rumble in his pocket.

Grabbing his phone, he brought it up to inspect the text he had received. He assumed it was a final biting comment from Finn, or a threat. But instead he was surprised to find the incoming text was from Don Polaraski.

"What the hell? It's four thirty in the morning. What could he want?" The fox muttered in confusion. Opening the text, the screen displayed only two words which had been clearly typed in a haphazard manner.

'He)p Dawqn'

Nick stared at the message in confusion. The bear had obviously tried to type 'Help Dawn.' or 'Help, Dawn'. But either way it made little sense. Nick made his way back to the hallway, and attempted to call the bear. However Don didn't answer, and after the second attempt the fox stopped trying. The unease was growing as the fox read the message again, there was something sinister below the surface. The mistyped keys were near the proper ones, denoting a desperation or trembling as the sender typed. The brevity and the lack of response to the call only increased the sense of suspicion in the fox.

"Is Dawn doing something to her par-" The fox stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to immediately blame the sheep for a crime he wasn't even sure was being committed, but it was the first place his mind went. Luckily, he had an idea of how to eliminate that possibility fairly quickly.

Sneaking back into the office, he scanned around for Carrot's phone. He knew she had left it somewhere around the room before she changed into her more casual clothing. After a few moments, his eyes spotted the familiar grey phone sitting on the side table next to the love seat. Creeping quietly, the fox carefully snatched the phone, taking great care to not disturb the sleeping rabbit nearby. Taking it out in the hall he scanned through the list of contacts, and sure enough he found Bellwether's name.

He had a feeling that when the ewe had given her the number, Judy wouldn't simply throw it out. Whether the rabbit wanted to keep tabs on her, or was reluctant to admit she wanted to try to befriend her again she was going to keep that number close by. Naturally she would have entered in the phone rather than keep it on the paper scrap, the risk of losing it would be too great. Nick smirked to himself at his now confirmed assumption. And here Nick had thought wasting time mulling over Bellwether was behind her. He imagined that Judy had played chicken with the call button quite a few times by this point, trying to muster the courage to dial.

"So much for keeping you out of the Bellwether business Carrots." The fox chuckled.

Unlike the rabbit, the fox mashed the call button without hesitation. All he needed was a voice, something to confirm the ewe was home in case something came of Polaraski's message. Then he could simply hang up without even saying a word. He was caught off guard however, when a decidedly male voice answered the phone.

"Who is this?" The voice was laced with confusion.

"I need to speak with Dawn Bellwether." Nick replied, now worried the number had been wrong this whole time.

"Once again, I'm going to ask who this is. It's four in the morning pal." The voice responded gruffly. It was starting to sound familiar.

"This is Detective Nick Wilde, I'm call-" The voice cut him off.

"Oh, its you Red. You and your partner can't leave that poor sheep alone can you?" The nickname finally clued Nick in on who was speaking.

"Wait, is this Puppy?" The fox asked by accident, the nickname just slipped out. The situation demanded a serious tone, lest he put the wolf further on the defensive.

"I told you not to call me that!" The voice snarled.

"Look, look I'm sorry okay Mr. Hunter. But I urgently nee-"

"You know, I've got family in law enforcement, and they don't spend their free time stalking their previous offenders after they've served their debts to society." The wolf snapped.

"I'm aware of your families careers Mr. Hunt-"

"Oh so you've been looking into my family now? You mammals really are obsessed." Vernon was practically snarling, and the continued interruptions were starting to grate on the fox.

"Listen!" Nick snapped back. "This is important Mr. Hunter! Can you just tell me if she is there with you?" Nick asked tersely.

"And why should I tell you anything?" Vernon replied.

Nick let out an aggravated sigh. "I get it, you care about Dawn alright. So for the sake of her safety, can you at least tell me if she's been with you for the last few hours." Nick was practically pleading with him.

The wolf seemed thrown off by the fox's tone. He coughed awkwardly before speaking, his voice was calmer.

"Y-yes, today's our day off. We've been home all day." Vernon replied earnestly.

"You are living together?" The fox responded, half surprised.

"Yes, I assumed someone in your position would know that." The wolf said, his tone returning to a level of slight annoyance.

"I did not sir." The fox responded. "Look, just keep an eye on her alright. It's important to..." The fox coughed, trying to think up an excuse. "to the pending arson case." He added.

The wolf was silent for a moment.

"F-fine?" The wolf said, confusion in his voice.

"Good." Nick replied. "Goodnight Mr. Hunter.

"Uh-yeah....goodnight." The wolf replied.

Hanging up Judy's phone, Nick returned to the office. He gingerly placed the phone back in it's spot on the side table. Turning the white board back to the arson case side, he scribbled in the odd text message, and the fact that the ewe was home at the time of receiving it. Above the new information, he wrote 'alibi?' in large letters, and circled it.

"N-Nick..." He heard a familiar voice shuddering.

Turning his attention back to the sleeping rabbit, her face seemed to be scrunched in pain. She was trembling now, her paws clasped to her upper arms.

"I-It's so c-cold Nick...s-so cold." She uttered.

The fox felt his heart drop. Those were the exact words she said to him the day she had been bitten. His mind reeled back to that moment, and replayed it vividly in his head. The fox crouched above the downed rabbit, his paw applying pressure to her neck wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. There had been so much blood, more blood then he thought she could possibly have. Judy's eyes were still wide in shock, and her breathing was staggered. 

"N-Nick..." She shuddered as she spoke.

"Judy! Your gonna be okay! Stay with me Judy!" The fox responded pleadingly. He could barely hear the approaching sirens of the oncoming ambulance, his heightened awareness and adrenalin keeping his focus on Judy's words.

"I-It's so c-cold Nick...s-so cold."

The fox immediately scooped her up and held her close to his chest, keeping his paw on her wound. Judy's blood had completely soaked his uniform, and the pressure at her wound was fading rapidly. Nick could feel tears pooling in his eyes, and began to whine as if he were feral.

"S-stay with me." She uttered.

"I will Judy. I will." The fox repeated, his voice cracking.

He found himself back in the present, still frozen in horror. Coming to his senses he again regarded Judy. She was shivering fiercely, fully rapt in the nightmare she was having. The cases, everything else in his mind fell away, replaced with the more urgent need to comfort his Carrots.

The fox crept his way over to the loveseat and carefully eased his way behind the shivering rabbit. Gingerly he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her smaller form into him. She managed to fit perfectly in his embrace, her head resting just below his muzzle. Slowly the shivering came to a stop.

"I'm here Judes. I'm here." He cooed softly.

He felt the rabbit's arms tighten around his own, and she wriggled her body deeper into him. She let out a comforted sigh as her breathing returned to normal.

"Stay with me..." She cooed tiredly.

"I'll always be here Judy."


	15. A Doe's Intuition

Judy awoke, letting out a comfortable sigh as she felt the familiar embrace of a passed out fox protectively balled around her. She gazed up to see the bottom of the muzzle of her partner Nick. The dumb fox was snoring loudly, causing his jaw to tap the top of her head with each loud breath. Judy had to stifle her giggle to keep from waking him. She hugged his arms closer to her for a moment, basking in the exquisite cuddle, before gingerly pushing his arms away. Carefully she maneuvered herself out of the vulpine's grasp and eased herself up.

Judy yawned, stretching her arm in the air as she prepared to greet the new day. She could tell already by the lighting outside that it was the afternoon. Luckily it was their day off or she would be having a panic attack at how late they would have been. The rabbit reached over to the side table to collect her phone, and quickly checked the time.

"Two fourteen P.M." She muttered. "Needed more sleep than I realized."

The rabbit placed the phone back on the counter and scratched herself. She needed some tea fast, something hot to perk her up before getting ready to hit the books again. As she moseyed her way toward the hall, she turned to regard her roommate once more. Nick clearly had a longer night than she had if the bags under his eyes were any indication. She wasn't sure exactly when she nodded off, but it was well before sun rise. It still managed to surprise her how much of a good cop Nick had really become. She couldn't imagine many other mammals that would not only put up with her tenacity for solving crime, but actually outpace her at times. That was just one of the things the rabbit loved about the fox.

She smirked as she continued to eye her partner. His snoring hadn't dampened in her absence, his jaw flapping open and shut with each loud breath. But his arms managed to snag his long and fluffy tail, which he snuggled as if it were the missing bunny.

"He is such a doof." She thought to herself, rolling her eyes. 

"But he's my doof." She answered herself softly, letting out a sigh of affection.

Judy exited the office and made her way toward the kitchen. Using a stool, she climbed on top of it and opened the cabinet where she kept her tea, grabbing herself the box of blueberry tea bags. After getting down, she set up the kettle and put it on the stove before settling back on the stool. Now leaning on the counter, waiting for the pot to steam the rabbit's mind began to wander.

When had she first realized she was in love with Nick? It seemed like so long ago, lost in a haze of what felt like an eternity of police work.

It was true that when she first met the fox, there was something had had drawn her to him. Nick would probably argue that it was his ‘devilish good looks’ and ‘charming personality’. The rabbit felt her eyes roll; she could hear him saying it in her head punctuated with his usual smug grin. But it was true that there was something there, something just beneath the surface of the fox's cool exterior that made her want to keep him around far past the point where she needed his help. Maybe it was because she could see the good in him, and the longer he was stuck with her the more it came out. As she dragged the reluctant fox all over the city she could see his barrier falling away, and with it came his cunning intellect, quick thinking, and bravery. 

It was that moment where he stood up to Chief Bogo on her behalf, standing his ground against the giant water buffalo on that night in the Rainforest District where she first saw Nick Wilde as he truly was. He was simply a good mammal, and a true friend, regardless of the hide he wore. He was just like her, just beaten down to the point where it had become easier to run than to stand, and he deserved his chance to shine.

Judy bit her lip and sucked in air, cringing as her memories drifted to her biggest mistake. One of the few things to this day the rabbit could not forgive herself for. That stupid press conference, her stupid statements. She hadn’t even thought about the words she was saying as she said them, they had simply came out. The look on Nick’s face, the pain in his eyes. She had coaxed him out of hiding, and gave him some small bit of hope only to stomp on it right in front of him. For years she had been told foxes were monsters, but the only monster at the ZPD that day was her.

With the fox out of her life, her only companions became shame and guilt. And that feeling was amplified by the unrest she had sent rippling through the city. Not only had she inadvertently reduced a mammal she saw as her friend to nothing more that a mindless monster, but she had done it to every predator in the Zootopia. She had made a mockery of her dream, and had sullied what her badge, and the ideals it represented stood for. But the longer Nick was out of her life, the less her job seemed to matter. Her dream didn’t seem to be worth it anymore without Nick in her corner. And so with all of this weighing down on the rabbit, she turned in her badge and sentenced herself to exile back in the bustling little town of Bunny Burrow. It was a fitting ending to her little life story, one the rabbit thought to be much deserved at the time.

She had wanted to find Nick, to talk to him and apologize, but it all seemed so hopeless. She had essentially left the fox on a sinking ship and burned all of the life rafts. With no way to undo the damage she had done to Zootopia overall, and no way to begin to apologize properly to the fox it all seemed to be a lost cause. 

It was when Gideon Grey of all mammals made mention of the "night howlers" that it all fell into place for Judy. Not only was it the missing link in the real 'why' behind the missing mammals case, and the key to cleaning up the mess she made of Zootopia, but it also gave her a catalyst for smoothing things over with her fox friend.

She hoped Nick would forgive her if she played her cards right, easing in from saving Zootopia into a grand apology. But when the fox simply turned away from her, she suddenly faced the very real fear of never being able to mend their broken friendship. She felt crushed, and couldn't stop the tears from coming. But at the very least she had to stay there and plead her case for the sake of the city, she needed his help even if they never spoke after that. She broke into full sobs as she prepared for the worst, a simple cold agreement to help with the case and nothing more. But when she heard her own voice played back on her carrot pen, and saw his familiar smug grin she felt all the pain wash away. Feeling the arms of her friend wrap around her, she knew that regardless of what happened with the case or Zootopia, she still had Nick, and that was what mattered.

From there it was all a whirl. The duo cut so many close calls wrapping up that case. When Judy thought about how many brushes with death they had that day, it actually spooked her. But Nick to his credit, seemed to stay cool enough to keep his mind running. She would have never come up with the plan to swap the blueberries for the night howler pellets, although to be fair she would have had a hard time coming up with any plan while still processing Dawn's betrayal. 

"Dawn..." She mumbled to herself. At the time, playing off the hustle felt so good. Watching Dawn's expression drop to sheer terror at the sound of her own incriminating voice filled Judy with righteous satisfaction. But after everything, the trial, the ewe's statements, and of course seeing what she had been reduced to found Judy's anger replaced by pity. What Judy had first seen as a friend turned heartless criminal mastermind, was now a pale reflection of what Judy was at her lowest point. At the drive through window that night, Judy could nearly see herself at the roadside stand of her parents farm. Regretful of all she had screwed up, and dutifully accepting life's just punishment. While Dawn's crimes were much worse, and Judy couldn't see herself ever fully forgiving the lamb for her actions, there was a part of her that could see herself in Dawn's place had life had dealt her a different hand..

"FWEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The kettle whistled loudly, snapping the rabbit out of her quiet reverie. Judy hopped off the seat and rushed to the kettle, hoping to silence it before it woke the sleeping fox in the other room. As she pulled it off the burner, the sound of the kettle began to die away causing Judy to emit a sigh of relief. Carefully she poured the hot water, then added the milk and just a dab of honey to bring out the flavor. After placing the kettle on a different burner, the rabbit sat back down and stirred her tea.

They had saved Zootopia, a fox and a rabbit. But as terrible as it was to admit, Judy was more happy to have saved their friendship. She was even more delighted to find out that Nick had kept his police applicant form and fully intended to join the ZPD.   
The only bad part about the whole affair was that the two would be separated during Nick's time at the academy. It didn't give them much time to catch up with Judy recovering from her leg wound, her reinstatement and promotion, and then the circus that was the night howler trial. But thankfully they had Muzzletime and Yipe to keep in touch. 

When Judy wasn't too tuckered out from the heavy workload incurred by being Zootopia's star Lieutenant, or Nick too wiped out from academy training they were on camera, whittling away hours talking about the most frivolous things. Other mammal's might have found such a thing boring, but Judy found herself rapt in anything Nick had to say. Whether it was about growing up in the city, or why one Bug Burga location was way better than another one, their chat's became a source of great comfort for the rabbit.

Judy could remember how proud she was on the day of Nick's graduation. She was filled with even more pride and joy than on the day of her own, because Nick had shown everyone else just what she had seen in him. Now all of Zootopia would be able to see that he wasn't 'just a fox', but a good mammal and a cunning crime fighter . The rabbit could remember feeling a tingling sensation as she placed the badge on her friends chest, overcome with joy to see the fox finally getting what he deserved. But that was friendly adoration, a feeling of joy and love for her friend the rabbit mused as she took a sip of her tea. At that point she hadn't felt a romantic love for the fox, and that much she was certain of.

As soon as Judy was back in the city she immediately went to put in a formal request to take on Nick Wilde as her partner. To her surprise, she found that Bogo had already filled out and approved the requisite paperwork on her behalf. When she asked Bogo about it he was his usual gruff self, and explained his motivations for approving it clinically, but Judy could see the small grin on his muzzle.

The first day on patrol was the beginning of their career as inseparable partners. After they caught Nick's 'buddy' Flash, which ended up forcing them to work overtime in order to process him, they spent the rest of the night at the Gazelle benefit concert. She knew Nick had gone more for her than for himself, as he wasn't a massive fan of Gazelle like she was. But the snarky fox did keep the Gazelle tabloid scandal jokes to a minimum, and even danced with her with a little prodding. By two in the morning they finally made it back to Judy's apartment, and proceeded to pass out.

That quickly grew into the routine for the two cops, minus going to the Gazelle concert. In the morning Nick would meet the rabbit at her place, they'd pick up breakfast on their way to the precinct. Then they would spend the day working cases or on patrol, catch a bite to eat after clocking out, and loaf around Judy's apartment until either Nick would need to leave, or he'd simply crash on a makeshift bed on the floor. While it didn't happen every single night, it certainly happened more often than one would expect in a normal friendship. Although Judy hadn't seen it that way at the time.

As the first few months went on, Judy began to give serious consideration to getting a better apartment. With Nick spending the night so often, the nosey and noisy neighbors, and the myriad of other problems it was becoming clear to the rabbit that she needed something a bit more comfortable. 

But as she ruminated on her own living situation, she began to find herself more curious about Nick's living arrangements. In all the time they had been working together and hanging around each other she had never even seen it. Nick had never once even suggested relaxing at his place to change things up, they had always simply went to her tiny apartment. She tried to weave idle conversations into a direction that would cause Nick to make some mention of his own home. She brought up the woes of apartment life, and browsing for a new place, but Nick always seemed to deftly avoid any mention of his own place. Eventually Judy's curiosity reached it's limit, and during a routine patrol she decided to force it out of him. The two had been parked on Main St. in Sahara Square, trading their usual banter as they watched for any criminal activity.

"So...I was thinking..." The rabbit started.

"Hmm?" Nick grunted, his eyes hidden behind his dark sunglasses, but still peering at the passing crowds.

"Maybe after work tonight..." Her voice was sing-song, trying to make the request as friendly as possible. "we could hang out at your place?"

The fox seemed to jolt for a moment, as if surprised by her question. Slowly he turned to her and lowered his glasses.

"Now why would you wanna hang out at my place Fluffs?" The fox crooked an eyebrow.

"Well, I just thought it would be different, you know?" She asked with slight confusion.

"A bunny in a foxes den?" He chuckled. "Why you'd be at my mercy, what would your parents think?" He chuckled.

Judy gave him a playful swat in the arm. "Nick, I'm serious. We never go to your place and now I'm kind of curious to see it. What, are you hiding a pig sty from me?" Judy chuckled.

"Now, now, I'm sure Officer Piggins would take offense to that kind of comparison." The fox continued.

"Nick!" Judy snorted. "C'mon, what's the problem. Tell me already."

The fox took his sunglasses off and let out a deep sigh. Judy could see his expression was pained before he turned away from her, looking back out on the street.

"I...don't exactly have an apartment Judes." He mumbled.

"So what? Like a house then? All that hustling buy you a nice little condo?" She chuckled.

When Nick didn't respond, her jovial attitude dropped in a heartbeat. This was clearly more serious than she realized.

"Nick?" She asked, with worry in her voice.

The fox continued to stare out the windshield at the mammals walking by. "You remember that bridge you found me under after you came back to the city?" 

"Oh no, Nick you can't mean..." 

"Relax Carrots, I don't live under a bridge." The fox turned back to her, placing a paw on her shoulder reassuringly. She placed her paw on his as he turned his sights back to the street.

"A little ways from there is a abandoned warehouse where...I've been kinda squatting." He frowned deeply as he said it.

"Oh Nick." She rubbed his paw.

"I've fixed it up pretty nice, and it works for me more or less, but it's too much of a hole in the wall to host company." Nick responded sullenly.

"But why do you live there? You couldn't get an apartment anywhere?" She asked.

"My previous activities...er...kinda got me kicked out of a lot of places." The fox muttered sheepishly. "Eventually I stopped trying to get places I'd only live at for about three months at a time, so I found this place. I've been there for about two years now."

"But how have you been getting your paycheck? The precinct can't be sending mail to an abandoned warehouse." Judy asked.

"I have a P.O. box at the post office, that's where those have been going." The fox craned his head up, letting off another sigh. All this clearing the air seemed to be making him uncomfortable.

"I've been meaning to start looking again now that I have a..erm, stable career. But it's just been easier to-"

Judy suddenly stood up in her seat, cutting Nick off and causing him to shrink at her sudden movement. The rabbit had heard more than enough of her friends plight, and an ingenious plan had struck her.

"Nick! I just had a great idea!" The rabbit said excitedly.

"Do tell Fluffs." The fox snickered.

"Why don't we look for an apartment together!?" Her foot was practically thumping against the seat cushion. Nick gave her an odd glance.

"Like...two different places together or...?" 

"No, one place! We can be roommates!" Her voice was brimming with enthusiasm.

"Geeze...I don't know Carrot's" Nick rubbed the back of his head. "That's a big decision to make on the fly."

"No! Think about it!" Judy grabbed Nick's face and looked him square in the eyes. "Instead of moving into two not so great places, we can pool our money and move into one really good apartment! We won't have to worry about meeting up to commute to work!" The fox continued to eye her curiously.

"Well..." Nick rolled his eyes.

"We already hang out together all the time anyway, so it'll barely be any different! C'mon Nick!"

Nick gently grabbed her hands and pulled them off his face. Judy quickly pulled her hands away, blushing in embarrassment as she realized that she had practically been groping her friend in an excited frenzy. The fox chuckled.

"You bunnies, so emotional." Judy ignored the comment, clasping her paws together and making pleading eyes at the fox..

"Alright Carrot's, you've swayed me. You've got yourself a roomie."

Judy couldn't contain the urge to hop around, pumping her fists in excitement. The prospect of living with her best friend sounded like so much fun, and not only that, but she would know that Nick had a nice home. But Nick's next words brought her mood down a peg.

"Geeze, if I thought your parents weren't going to like you coming back to my place, they really won't like the idea of me living with you huh?" Nick chuckled.

Judy felt her ears droop. That was something she hadn't even considered. Sure her parent's had become more open about foxes, even partnering with Gideon Grey. But their daughter living with a fox? She was sure that wouldn't go over well.

"Forgot about 'em huh?" Nick chimed in.

"No!" She fired back. "I mean...I don't have to tell them right away anyway..."

Nick nodded at her with a bemused expression.

"Besides!" She pointed a finger at him. "I'm a grown doe, and I can do what I want!" 

"Whatever you say Carrots." Nick raised his arms defensively. "But if they decide to drop by, and your Dad tries to fox spray me I will have no choice but to defend myself." He chuckled.

Living together, Judy was sure that was when her feelings of friendship had crossed over into something deeper. It had only taken the duo a short time to find a beautiful and spacious apartment that was practically walking distance from the station. Moving in was even easier, as the two barely had a room's worth of furniture between them. Over the next few months the two slowly managed to furnish the place enough to stop their voices from echoing every time they spoke, albeit some of the foxes furniture choices were tacky to say the least.

Living with Nick also turned out smoother than she had anticipated. The rabbit had assumed that there would at least be some friction between them, regardless of how close they were. But the fox was surprisingly tidy, and generally quiet when alone in his room. The two were on the same schedule when it came to sleep, so there never really was a risk of waking one another up. The most they would tend to argue would be about cases, or the choice of film for their regular movie night. If anything living together had only made them closer, and with that came the unusual feelings.

It started with sometimes catching herself giving Nick a lingering stare. Then there was the tingling sensation that she would sometimes get when hearing the fox say her name. Judy had also fallen into the habit of snuggling up to the fox whenever they were lounging on the sofa together. It had started completely by accident, the two were watching a movie together and the rabbit unwittingly leaned into him. She finally noticed when she felt Nicks arms wrap around her, sending a chill up her spine. 

She would have pulled away now that she had realized she was leaning into him, but he had her securely snuggled against his chest. What surprised her the most was that Nick hadn't objected, he hadn't said anything, in fact he just held her tighter in response. Judy felt that shudder again, and buried herself deeper into the foxes fur, brushing off the idea that this was somehow weird behavior for close friends.

"It was the accident, that was it." Judy muttered to herself, taking another sip of her tea. "The shoot out at Zootopia's First national Bank, the one where Nick..." Her words lingered as she began to recall the incident.

The memory caused Judy to wince. She remembered the fox letting out an almost feral yelp as he hit the pavement. She had ran over to him on instinct alone, with no regard to her own personal safety. The other officers yelled at her to stop, but she could barely hear them over the sound of her own terror. She somehow managed to drag the dazed fox behind the nearest squad car and then it all became sort of a blur. Her composure completely collapsed, reducing her to a blubbering mess despite the groaning fox's assurances that he was okay. She remained inconsolable for the entire ride to the hospital, as well as during her time spent in the waiting room. When she was finally allowed to see her partner she became even more worked up. Seeing Nick laying there, his chest wrapped in gauze was almost too much for her. She ran over and tightly hugged him, causing the fox to wince in pain.

"Ah Carrots! Chest wound remember?" The fox grumbled a weak laugh.

Judy quickly pulled away, horrified that she had done some sort of permanent damage. She sniffled hard.

"Oh N-Nick." She sobbed. "I-I'm so so-sorry. I-" 

"I didn't say you had to stop hugging me, just softer." The fox grinned, opening his arms to the rabbit. "Now bring it in partner." 

The rabbit weakly tromped over to him and slumped her head into his side, still sniffling loudly.

"Oh come now, this again?" The fox laughed, pulling the rabbit in for a proper hug. "I thought you learned how to hug properly after last time Fluffs."

Judy continued to weep into the foxes neck, albeit significantly quieter.

"Judes, I'm okay. It's just a shoulder wound." The fox patted her back gently. "I'm still here Carrots."

"D-Does it hurt?" She sniffled, her words muffled by being buried in the foxes fur.

"Well..." Nick rolled his eyes. " on a scale of one to ten I'd place it around blindingly painful." 

The rabbit sobbed harder into his fur, seemingly startling the wounded fox.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He began to gently rub her back. "Just a joke Carrots, just a joke."

Judy pulled away from him, looking at the fox with disbelief.

"How can you joke at a time like this! You almost died!" The tears continued to stream.

"Judy, I got shot in the shoulder. My life didn't exactly flash before my eyes."

"But it could have been so much worse!" Judy interjected, glaring at Nick. The fox seemed to shirk under her gaze.

"Carrots, we're police officers." The fox looked at her dubiously. "That risk kinda goes with the territory right?"

Judy just stared at him, eyes still watering. He was right of course, being an officer meant your life was at risk every shift, every patrol, every call. Still it wasn't something she gave much thought to when it came the two of them. She began to sob loudly before burying herself back in the foxes pelt.

"I-I know" She sniffled. "I-I just don't want to lose you Nick."

She felt the fox's arms wrap around her again, and he gently rubbed her back.

"Hey, this guy ain't going anywhere Carrots. Like it or not, you're stuck with me now." The fox chuckled.

Judy continued to sob, but a few chuckles broke through.

"I'm t-telling them." Judy said.

"Hmm..." The fox murmured.

"I'm going to t-tell my parents I live with you. I-I've put it off long enough." She muttered in Nick's fur.

"Judes. you don't h-" 

"I want to." She said, pulling away from the fox to look him straight in the eyes.

"I'm proud to have you as my friend Nick Wilde, and I want them to see that." She wiped her eyes.

"So you just gonna tell them or....?" The fox crooked his eyebrow.

"The Chief spoke to me before I came in. He said you were getting two weeks off for medical leave. He also thought it best that since I was your roommate and sole medical contact that I take off for the two weeks to help rehabilitate you." She placed her fist to her chest boastfully.

"And there's nothing better then fresh country air to help a mammal get well."

It wasn't too difficult to get Nick on board with the idea of recuperating in Bunny Burrow. It was as simple as pitching the idea of an endless supply of blueberries straight from the bush that had the fox practically dragging her to the train station, well as much as he could with an arm in a sling. It had also been surprisingly smooth telling her parents that the two were sharing an apartment shortly after arriving in Bunny Burrow. Her Mother was supportive, and her Father was at least putting on a brave face. Though despite the old farmer's assurances that he thought it was 'great', the fact that his paw continued to claw at his own chest inadvertently was rather telling. The difficult part of the whole trip ended up being on Judy herself, after a sobering morning talk with her Mother.

The duo had been on the farm for at least a week at that point. Judy had been doting on Nick to the point where the fox had to tell her to stop, but Judy ignored his pleas. She was certain Nick was leaning hard into his usual 'I don't need anyone' persona in an effort not to appear vulnerable. Although he looked considerably less convincing when buried under a mound of her curious brothers and sisters, all berating the fox with questions.

She had been helping her mom with the morning breakfast orders, taking special care to make Nick a perfect stack of blueberry pancakes when Mrs. Hopps broached the subject.

"Judy dear, I do appreciate the help. But I kind of need you to work on more than one stack. I think Nick's are done." The older rabbit chided.

Judy blushed a bit as she set the stack aside. "S-sorry mom, It's just that with Nick the way he is, I wanted to make su-"

"Honey, they're pancakes with blueberries on them. It's not rocket science." Bonnie chuckled.

Judy gave a weak smile in response, as the older rabbit placed more batter in the nearby skillet. Judy joined her shortly after, pouring batter onto her own pan to create another batch from the seemingly endlessly hungry household. She was silent however, her mind still on the wounded fox. "Was he alright?", "did he need his pillows fluffed?", "were her brothers and sisters overwhelming him again?". She was unaware of how lost in thought she was until Bonnie spoke, pulling her back from her reverie.

"Judy? Is something wrong. You are usual more talkative when we're cooking together." Mrs. Hopps asked.

Judy had nearly forgotten what she was doing, and in surprise snapped her head up in alert. "Huh!?" She yelped. The older rabbit stared at her with half lidded eyes.

"O-oh I'm fine mom...I'm just worried about Nick is all." She replied somberly.

"Darlin' Nick is fine. Honestly you're smothering the poor boy dear, you brought him out here to relax didn't you?" Bonnie chided.

"What!?" Judy snapped. "I'm not smothering him. He was seriously hurt." Judy looked at her mother in disbelief.

"Yes I know he was seriously hurt dear. But now he's recovering, and quite well I might add." Bonnie smiled softly at her daughter. "But there are two hundred plus mammals in this house, and if Nick needed any help it would be easy to find it. It doesn't always have to be you." The rabbit flipped the pancakes over, creating a loud sizzle as the uncooked batter reignited the skillet.

"Mom..." Judy shook her head. "No one here knows Nick like I do. He doesn't like to ask for help with anything."

"That reminds me a lot of someone." She said, shooting her daughter a knowing glance. Judy gave a slight huff in response.

"Even so, Nick seems to be the type that doesn't care to be doted over." Bonnie nodded. "If anything you are keeping him from relaxing with all that coddling."

Judy rolled her eyes, causing the older rabbit to chuckle.

"There you go again. What? Your Mother's too old to understand how different this is?" the older rabbit crossed her arms.

"Mom, it's not that...it's just-"

"Can I tell you a story Judy?" Mrs. Hopps cut her off. Judy tilted her head back and sighed before allowing her Mother to continue.

"Back when I was your age, Stu and I were really close friends. And one day when he was visiting my families farm the dumb bunny tripped over a root in the field and twisted his ankle something fierce." Bonnie pantomimed the larger rabbit falling.

"Now, your Father wasn't as er....'stoic' as Nick was. He was pitchin' and whining up a fit. And I was so worried about him I wouldn't let him leave my families farm till he got healed up." Bonnie chuckled to herself. " I was waiting on him paw and foot, to the point where he was pleading for me to stop. His own Mother even came over to tell me to stop fretting over him, and send him home."

"And what did you do?" Judy asked, flipping her own flapjacks as her Mother continued.

"I did what you did, rolled my eyes and told her I knew better." The older rabbit grinned and rolled her eyes, causing Judy to chuckle.

"Do you know what she told me after that big fuss I made?" Bonnie asked.

"No, what?" Judy replied.

"That she had been exactly the same way when she fell in love." Bonnie stated, scooping the pancakes out her pan and onto a plate.

Judy nearly knocked her skillet off the stove, her ears pointed and alert. She looked at her Mother in shock.

"W-What!?" Judy sputtered. "Are you saying..." Judy couldn't even finish the sentence.

"And now you're gonna tell me you don't love that boy, and list all the reasons why you don't." Bonnie chuckled. "And that's exactly what I did." She brought a paw to her chin as she reminisced. "But after I thought about it, I realized your Grandmother was right on the button. I loved your Pa dearly, I just didn't see it."

"B-But were friends, were partners. He's a fox and I-"

"Darlin', think about it. I mean really think about it. You live together, you work together, you spend all your free time together too I bet. And what kind of friend dotes over the other this much? Nicks a grown mammal, he doesn't need to be waited on like a little kit. But you want to wait on him because you really care about him. " Bonnie concluded.

"But I-" Judy stammered, before bringing a paw to her own chin in reflection. She began to think about her relationship with the fox, about the time they've spent together, and all the odd feelings she had been experiencing as of late. 

When Nick had been shot she was petrified. She couldn't fathom losing him, and suddenly that risk was made very real. She had reasoned at the time it was simply a natural response to her friend getting hurt, but now under the lens of her Mother's words an obvious truth was becoming more and more visible.

"Oh no..." Judy mumbled.

Bonnie smiled and nodded at her daughter.

"I can't...I can't love him, can I?" Judy asked her Mother almost pleading me.

"Sweetie, are you asking my permission?" Her Mother chuckled.

Judy simply sagged her head down, her ears drooping over face in sadness.

"I do...I do love him." She sniffled. 

Slowly Judy turned to look at her Mother. Tears were welling in her eyes as she looked at the older rabbit, earning a concerned frown in response.

"Are you ashamed of me for loving him?" Judy asked.

"Oh Judy no, no, no, no." Her Mother placed a paw on Judy's shoulder. "I could never be ashamed of you sweetie." Bonnie kissed her daughters forehead before letting out a sigh.

"We can't help who we love." Bonnie cooed. "But what we can do is choose whether to pursue it or not."

Judy sniffled. "D-do you think I shouldn't tell him, j-just try to get rid of the feelings?" She wiped her eyes.

"Judy." Bonnie sighed. "You've always been a strong doe. You never let anyone tell you how to live your life, and everything you wanted you achieved and more." The older rabbit looked down and away from Judy. "Your Father and I were bad parents in that respect."

"Mom no-" Judy was cut off as Bonnie raised a paw to stop her.

"Now let me finish." Bonnie chided. "We never supported your goals like we should have, we were just so afraid that the world would hurt you that we couldn't even see that we were. But you were better and stronger than us Judy. You showed us how wrong we were, that a mammal was more than their pelt. 

Even Gideon Grey, who tormented you and your siblings growing up turned out to be a really upstanding mammal. But if you hadn't shown us how small minded we were being about everything, we would have never even given him a chance to work with us. And we would have missed out on some great things if we hadn't."

Bonnie placed her paw back on Judy's shoulder. "I can't say I'm in love with the idea. But it's your life, and me and your Father will stand by you if you decide that Nick is the one." The older rabbit smiled at Judy, and with that Judy wrapped her arms around her mom and hugged her tightly.

"I love you mom. Thank you." Judy softly sobbed.

"I love you too sweetheart, but your flapjacks are burning."

Judy rapidly pulled away from her Mother and turned to see her pancakes were beginning to char. She flipped them in a panic before letting out a sigh. Turning back to her Mother she smiled weakly.

"I'll take these ones..." And the two shared a laugh.

Judy finished her tea, setting her cup aside as she hopped off her stool. 

"Thanks Mom." She muttered softly. The accident hadn't made Judy realize her feelings for Nick, but it had been the catalyst that led to her Mother opening her eyes. She loved the fox dearly, and since her confession to her Mother the feeling had only deepened. But since then she had been faced with the problem of telling the fox how she felt, and the courageous Judy Hopps had shirked at every opportunity to. Even after her own terrible accident...

Judy shuddered at the memory, and began to walk back to the office. She had spent enough time idly tracing the steps of her love life and was now ready to take on something that was a little less uncomfortable to analyze. As she entered the office she glanced over at Nick, who was still out like a light. The fox hadn't moved much at all since her little tea break.

Turning her attention to the whiteboard she was immediately puzzled. The evidence scribblings were completely unrelated to the Stoat case. There were notes about a fire bomb, charred wool and strange phone calls. Turning her gaze to the top of the board her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Bellwether Arson Case?" Judy mumbled quietly. She turned back to look at the sleeping Nick Wilde.

"Nick had a case involving Bellwether and didn't tell me?" She thought, her brows furrowing in agitation.

She was annoyed, clearly the fox had thought she was too emotionally compromised to be of any help on the case. Or maybe Nick just didn't want to bother her with anything Bellwether related because he was protecting her. Either way the rabbit was growing more and more angry. She didn't need Nick to protect her when it came to a case, and she thought the fox should know better than to think she'd let Dawn's involvement make her jump to inaccurate conclusions. She was about to open her mouth to yell at the sleeping fox when something on the board caught her eye.

"Cracked hoof prints?" She eyed the writing suspiciously. 

She spent the next few minutes familiarizing herself with the case via Nick's notes to better understand what happened. After affirming Nick's conclusion that Dawn hadn't done it herself, Judy eyed the 'cracked hoof prints' clue again. It didn't make sense to the rabbit. Dawn had always been a neat sheep, and for as long as Judy had known her the ewe polish and colored her hoof nails. Even at the drive through Judy remembered the lamb's hooves having been in immaculate order.

Judy strolled over to the clues laying on the nearby desk. She inspected the photos of the hoof prints closely, eyeing every errant crack with intensity.

"No...these can't be hers. Not at all." Judy put the photos down and picked up the bag of charred wool. As she gently shifted them around through the plastic she inspected each dark and messy piece with a critical eye. The grain of the wool of each chunk was haphazardly maintained, as if it was rarely brushed or combed. Again, it didn't match up with Dawn's profile. Her wool was always well treated, it was something that should be obvious to even a simple passerby with Dawn's perfectly balanced head puff that the lamb took a great degree of care in her outward appearance.

"Of course!" Judy said loudly before clasping her mouth shut. She looked back to see Nick stir, but he remained asleep.

There was a simple reason that the wool and hoof prints were so sloppy, a reason Nick would have missed because he wasn't thinking like a lady lamb, or rather like a lady in general. The type of mammal who generally wouldn't care about cracked hooves or messy wool would be the type of mammal who tended to care less about their outward appearance in general, and nine times out of ten that was a male.

"The perpetrator was....a ram." Judy mumbled in surprise.

Judy jerked suddenly as her phone rang. Turning to look back at the sofa she saw Nick was scrambling to grab the phone. Half awake the fox brought it to his ear.

"Nick Wilde duzzn't sell pawpsicles aneemore!" Nick blurted out, half asleep.

Judy simply tromped over and snatched her phone out of his paws, tapping his head with it as she brought to her own ear.

"That's my phone you dumb fox, go get some coffee in you bef-"

Judy paused, her face was stricken with shock. Nick looked at her, still half asleep and more confused than ever.

"Wazzat? Carrot's wha-"

"What do you mean Doug Ramses has escaped from prison?"


	16. Ice 'em

Dawn jumped awake to the sound of Vernon shouting from outside her bedroom door. As she fumbled for her glasses, the wolf's words were finally starting ring clear as the haze of sleep began to dissipate.

"Floofs wake up! I overslept! Were gonna be late for work!" The wolf shouted.

She felt the familiar form of her glasses touch the outside of her hoof before hearing a dull thud as the pair hit the floor.

"Lamb Shanks!" She cursed herself. As she blindly pawed at the floor for her eyewear she called back to the wolf.

"What time is it?!" She shouted.

"Eleven forty-two!" She heard the wolf reply.

As her hoof found the frames, she speedily brought them up to her face and hopped out of bed. Quickly she turned on her light, wincing for a moment at the sudden glare before making a mad dash for her wardrobe.

"What happened!?!" She shouted, now fumbling through the armoire for something to throw on quickly.

"I usually wake up in time, but I had a hard night last night and..." The wolf trailed off.

"You and me both" the lamb muttered. With a sigh as she threw off her night gown. She quickly pulled a short sleeve purple dress shirt over her head, and after adjusting the hem she began to dig around for a simple skirt.

"I'm so, so, sorry Floofs, I really hackled things up. I usually set an alarm." 

"It's okay Puppy." Dawn replied, now wiggling her way into a simple black skirt. "I'll be ready in a minute, how late are we going to be?" With the skirt now secured, the ewe grabbed her purse which hung from the armoire doorknob and began to trot toward her bedroom door.

"If we leave in the next few minutes, I'd say maybe ten minutes. Hopefully Gus won't be left holding the bag for too-"

Dawn cut the wolf off by opening the door, causing Vernon to stumble a bit. She hadn't realized he had been leaning against it as he spoke.

She watched the wolf quickly straighten himself back up, before giving the lamb a quick once over.

"Is this fine? Does it look okay?" Dawn asked Vernon. spreading her arms out to display her fairly standard clothes. She watched as the wolf quickly turned his head, scratching the back of it with his paw.

"I-erm...ya look real good. I mean fine." Vernon coughed. "You need to do anything else or can we head out?" 

"No, no." Dawn nodded, walking past Vernon and toward the entrance to the apartment. "I'm mean I'd prefer to have some extra time to primp and brush my teeth, but I'd rather not be any later than we are."

Vernon whipped around the lamb, opening the front door and giving her a soft grin.

"I hear yah." The wolf nodded as the lamb gave him a thankful smile before exiting the apartment. "I've got a box of mints in the storage bin on my moped. Till then I'll try not to talk directly at you, and spare you the dog breath."

Dawn chuckled as the wolf exited the apartment after her. Vernon closed the door tightly behind them, and began to lock the place up. Dawn watched as he tested the knob, twisting it aggressively a few times before becoming seemingly satisfied. Turning back to the lamb, the wolf sighed.

"All set, let's get moving before Gus gets all passive aggressive and grumbley on us." Vernon casually pointed his thumb toward the elevator. 

As the two began the mad dash to get to work, Dawn found herself unable to shake an uncomfortable feeling. Something felt off to the ewe, and she couldn't quite put her hoof on it. She clutched her purse as they dashed through the hall, confirming she had remembered it. Yet something still nagged at her. As the two saddled on to Vernon's Vixspa, she shooed away the lingering thoughts, reasoning that the feeling was simply the lack of time to primp and prep for work.

But unbeknownst to the lamb, a familiar lavender colored phone sat idly on the breakfast nook of the now silent apartment. It's illuminated screen casting a dim glow in the dark. '1 message received' was still flickering on it's face. A message the ewe wouldn't receive that night, left by one Don Polaraski.

"Soery."

Luckily for the pair, Gus' chiding was very brief at their late arrival. He apparently was in a rush to leave, mentioning something along the lines of a game he had to pick up that he'd been waiting for. Dawn and Vernon settled into their usual routine. Cleaning up, putting things away, and finally the long and boring wait for customers. 

But with the adrenalin rush of being late now gone, Dawn's mind returned to the agonizing decision she had made the night before. She needed to break the news to Vernon about leaving, despite how much she knew it would hurt the wolf. Just the thought of seeing the sadness in his eyes was tying her stomach in knots. At some point the wolf must have noticed how quiet she had grown, and finally spoke up.

"Hey Floofs, you all right?" The wolf asked, causing the ewe to jump in her seat.

"W-what!?" Vernon had caught her off guard, she hadn't even noticed he was sitting next to her.

"Hey easy." Vernon said, patting the puff on her head. "You look a little blue, is everything alright?" He had leaned down a bit, clearly trying to make eye contact with the ewe. Dawn responded by turning away.

"I-I I'm fine, really Vernon." She stuttered, mentally cursing herself for failing to play it cool.

"You don't seem fine Dawn, you've been really quiet and now you aren't looking at me." Vernon gently brought his paw to her chin and turned her head back to face him.

"I-I just..." She could feel her eyes starting to well, and suppressed the tears. The wolf already looked worried, and the lamb placed her hoof on the outside of his paw. 'It's now or never.' she thought to herself.

"I've bee-"

The wolf suddenly clawed at his headset, causing Dawn to flinch at the sudden movement. The wolf pulled the speaker off and held it away, using his other paw to cradle his wounded ear. Dawn could hear what sounded like an awful scraping noise coming from the headset.

"TEETH TO TAILS!" Vernon snarled. The wolf carefully brought the mic to his mouth, while still doing his best to keep the speaker away.

"WANNA TURN DOWN THAT RACKET BUDDY!? I CAN'T TAKE YOUR ORDER IF I'M DEAF!" Vernon shouted into the microphone.

Dawn gave him a concerned look before the sound quickly died away. With the noise gone a voice could barely be heard through the speaker, and with that Vernon cautiously brought it back to his ear.  
"Alright, great, thanks." Vernon muttered before clearing his throat. He held up a finger at Dawn, placing his other paw over the mic to mask his words.

"We'll pick up with this after we get this guy out of here, okay Floofs. Don't let me forget." 

Dawn meekly nodded as she watched Vernon stand up and adjust his headset.

"Welcome to Bug Burga, can I interest you in out jalapeno scorpion burger meal, only five-" Vernon stopped as Dawn could hear the voice chattering back to him.

"Just two canid size clover mint shakes huh?" Vernon rolled her eyes at Dawn causing her to cover her mouth to stifle a chuckle.

"Alrighty, that's five eighty-six, please drive around." The wolf let out a sigh as he placed his paws behind his head and stretched.

"Jeeze, the mammals that come out at night, I swear." He mumbled, earning another titter from Dawn as she hopped off the table. 

"I'll start making them, you handle the window." Dawn said, grabbing two canid cups from the nearby dispenser.

"On it boss." Vernon chuckled, making a comically over-exaggerated salute before moseying his way over to the register by the window.

While Dawn was thankful for the slight reprieve from having to have such a difficult conversation, it had done little to ease her anxiety. Mixing the drinks was doing little to distract her as she eyed Vernon at the drive-thru register, her mind still swirling with confusion over what to do. Should she really just leave? She didn't want to hurt him, she couldn't bear to. Maybe it was better if she gave it another week, perhaps two she thought.

"Or..." She thought.

What if she embraced it, laid it all on the table for the wolf. 

'Maybe even lay myself out on the table...' The ewe shook her head and suppressed a chuckle. 

But she couldn't help but think about if they really could make it work. Maybe if she lied low enough, got her name changed, maybe even if they moved away after her parole period was lifted. Vernon could probably get work as an architect outside of the city, and he might be okay with the move she thought. Maybe they really could be together.

But her dreamy thoughts were interrupted as the wolf pressed the button to open the drive-thru window. She didn't even feel herself let the finished drinks fall to the floor as she realized what she was seeing on the other side of the glass pane as it slid away.

In the passenger seat sat a ram cloaked in a hazmat suit, and aiming a weapon toward the unsuspecting wolf. It was no doubt a gun, but it's features were hauntingly familiar to the ewe. The hazard striping and the silencer drew her back to that awful moment four years ago, the moment that she held the same weapon in her own hooves. Vernon hadn't even looked away from the register, remaining oblivious to the weapon pointing at him. As the window fully opened, Dawn began a full on sprint toward the large mammal.

"VERNON! LO-"

Time seemed to slow down for Dawn as the events unfolded. She could see the pellet leave the barrel and barely brush the fur on the back of the wolf's neck before flying across the room and bursting against the side of the soda fountain. 

"-OK OU-"

By this point the wolf had seemingly begun to register what was happening, and as the second pellet left the chamber it passed clear through the space between the wolf's ears as he began to duck. Dawn was nearly there now, still sprinting and screaming.

-T!"

The third pellet went wide as the wolf was now in the midst of dodging, his paw outstretched in a flailing attempt to hit the button to close the drive-thru window. The lamb collided with him just as he slammed his paw on the switch, and the two collapsed into a heap. As the glass panel sealed shut a dull thump was heard as a small splatter of blue plastered across the now sealed window pane, followed by the sound of the vehicle peeling out.

It took a moment for Dawn to regain her senses. She could hear her own heart beating in her ears, and her breath was ragged. Looking down she could now see she was laying on top of a very dazed looking wolf.

"VERNON! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!? DID THEY GET YOU!?" She clutched his shirt, gently shaking the wolf.

"I-I'll b-be alright." The wolf wheezed. He gently brought his paw to his chest and clutched the ewe's hoof to his heart. "A-as soon as my heart starts beating again." He coughed.

Dawn carefully got off the wolf and up to her feet, before desperately trying to pull Vernon up by his free paw. After a moment of weak attempts the wolf finally raised his other paw and grasped the nearby front counter, pulling himself up with Dawn's assistance. The wolf flopped forward onto the counter as the lamb continued to check him for blue stains.

"DID YOU FEEL ANYTHING HIT YOU!?" She shouted, causing the wolf to wince.

"I-I don't think so, I don't think I'd be standing if-"

"It's not that kind of gun Puppy!" She barked, panic rising in her voice.

"Then what wa-"

The screeching of tires cut the exchange off, and their heads snapped towards the source of the noise just in time to see a white van come careening through the front of the restaurant. Dawn felt the wolf wrap his arms around her protectively as glass and furniture shrapnel sprayed in all directions. The van continued forward, atomizing the fake stump tables and shredding faux ferns as rammed through the fast food joint. It had made it about halfway toward the pair before skidding to a stop, the high beams of the headlight casting a spotlight at the cowering mammals.

Amid the tinkling noise of stray raining glass, and the thud of various plastic chunks hitting the ruined tile floor, a new sound rose above the noise of the idling engine of the van, the sound of windows rolling down. Dawn watched fearfully as two shiny discs were flung out of each side of the van, skidding across the floor with a small 'thunk' before emitting a loud hiss and a building puff of blue-ish smoke.

Dawn had never seen a weapon like the shining steel discs before, but the color of the smoke told her everything she needed to know.

"PUPPY! WE NEED TO GO NOW! She shouted.

The wolf, still holding her, simply lifted the ewe and made a mad dash for the back door of the restaurant. The wolf barreled toward the door at full speed, ramming into it with his free arm. However, the door failed to budge, sending a harsh tremor through the wolf's body that even Dawn could feel. Vernon placed her down before applying his full weight against the unmoving door, pushing at it desperately.

"Damnit! Move! WHY ISN'T IT OPENING!?" The wolf snarled.

Dawn's eyes traced up to the nearby security monitor, which displayed the various areas of the restaurant. The screen that displayed the front room was flickering, most likely from the impact damage from the van. But she could still see the quickly growing cloud rapidly filling the front room.   
Her eyes then darted to the drive-thru screen, and with that the answer to the stuck back door became clear. Someone had moved the dumpster directly in front of the door, preventing their escape.

"VERNON! LOOK!" She pointed wildly at the security screen.

The wolf glanced briefly, only to slam his fists against the door in anger.

"SON OF A-" He snarled. "That scraping noise..."

The ewe barely had time to react before the wolf had scooped her up again, and began running back toward the din at the restaurant entrance.

"VERNON! WHA-!?"

"WE'VE ONLY GOT ONE WAY OUT OF THIS!"

As the two got increasingly closer to the building smoke plume, Dawn could see the ram exit the car, with a second ram in tow. The two both had night howler guns and were preparing to aim them at the speeding mammals.

"VERNON YOU CAN'T, THAT SMOKE IS-"

Dawn suddenly felt Vernon jerk hard to the right and barrel into a nearby room. Once inside the wolf slammed the door tightly and locked it. Letting the ewe down he pressed his whole body against the door, waiting for the rams to inevitably try to break it down. Dawn looked around the dimly lit chamber, it was hard to see anything in there.

"Vernon! We can't stay locked in here! They can pump the night howler through-"

"They can't pump anything in here without going to the roof." The wolf panted.

She looked at the wolf with an odd expression before he flipped the nearby light switch. The room suddenly was bathed in a halogen glow, which caused the ice crystals that bathed the chamber to gleam. There were a few stray stacks of boxes, filled with various food items and encrusted with ice. But aside from that the place was largely empty, and very cold.

"We're in the freezer?" Dawn asked, now clutching her upper arms.

"Thankfully they didn't renovate this thing yet." The wolf muttered.

"I don't understand." Dawn's face scrunched in confusion.

"The freezer has a separate ventilation system. On top of that it was made to be a last ditch protection place in the event of a robbery. It should be enough to keep them out." The wolf replied.

"But how do we-"

A loud pounding sound began to emanate from the door, causing the sheep to shriek. the wolf further braced his body against it.

"WE'VE CALLED THE COPS! YOU BETTER GET OUT OF HERE!" Vernon snarled. The pounding continued unabated.

Dawn was trembling as the wolf turned to look at her, gesturing with a nod for the ewe to come over to him.

"My phone's in one of my pockets, wanna grab it and hit nine-one-one?" The wolf asked.

Dawn nodded vigorously before running up to Vernon. The lamb reached into his left pocket but found nothing but his wallet.

"Try the other one." The wolf stated, still bracing the door against the aggressive pounding.

The other pocket produced nothing more than loose change, and Dawn shrugged up at the wolf. Vernon gave her a look of confusion, then suddenly his eyes went wide as he brought his paw to his forehead.

"Damn. It's in the changing room. Son of a-"

"Wait! I have mine!" Dawn interrupted. 

The ewe reached into her pockets desperately pawing around for the familiar phone, but when both turned up empty Dawn suddenly remembered where it was, and felt her blood run cold.

"I-It's..." She stammered. "I- L-left it home."

Vernon gritted his teeth in response, continuing to lean against the door.

"YOU BETTER GIT! THEY ARE ON THIER WAY!" The wolf was bluffing, continuing to try to scare rams away.

Dawn meanwhile, felt herself breaking down. She began to shake as the first tear fell, and by the time she had broken into full sobs she had crumpled to the floor in a heap.

"We'll be alright Dawn, we'll get through this." She could barely hear the wolf plead with concern, the terror of the moment had deafened her.

Dawn wasn't sure how much time had passed before the pounding stopped. Her mind had become too over stimulated from everything that had transpired, and simply shut down. She was simultaneously reliving every dark and terrible memory from four years ago, as well as being confronted with the new and very real horror of being the target of a night howler attack. Did these rams set out to settle a score for Doug. Or were they merely trying to give the ewe a taste of her own medicine. Whatever the reason, it was clear that they were after her, or they wouldn't have been trying so desperately to get through that freezer door. She could hear the cackling of the horrible beast from her dreams, and feel it's searing eyes on her collapsed form. As the image became more clear in her mind, she could feel herself shivering uncontrollably. This was it, the ewe thought. She was going to die right there on the floor from shock.

But eventually the shaking gave way to a warm and comfortable feeling. It felt as though the ewe was being swaddled in a blanket of warmth and kindness. It had wrapped around her in a protective embrace, and Dawn instinctively buried herself deeper into the warmth. The images and horrors of her past began to die away, eventually even the cackle faded with them, and the ewe felt the haze cast over her mind begin to clear.

When Dawn finally started to come to her senses she quickly realized she had been moved from her spot on the cold freezer floor. She could feel something squeezing her body tightly, and gently brushing the wool on her head. Looking up she saw Vernon, who drew his hand back in surprise.

"Hey there Floofs..." He said softly.

"Vernon...what?" She muttered half dazed.

Looking down, she could see was sitting in Vernon's lap on the freezer floor. The wolf had wrapped his arms around her, and had brought his legs up and in as tightly as he could in an effort to keep the ewe covered up.

"You were shivering up a storm and mutterin' all sorts of things. So once the pounding stopped I scooped ya up did my best to calm you down and keep you warm." The wolf replied.

She gently grabbed Vernon's paws and held them tighter to her body before looking back up and softly smiling at the wolf.

"T-thank you P-puppy." She shuddered.

The wolf gave her a kind smile.

"Anytime Floofs." The wolf leaned his head back against the door. "Bet you wish we hadn't sheared you now huh?"

Dawn laughed weakly at Vernon's remark, ending it with a tired sigh.  
"So....are they gone?" Dawn asked.

"Far as I can tell, it's been quiet for a good twenty minutes now." came the wolf's reply.

Dawn simply continued to stare forward, still slightly out of it.

"Then why are we still in the freezer?" She mumbled.

"The damn locking mechanism's jammed again." The wolf let out a sigh. "I unlocked it from this side when I was positive it was clear, but it wouldn't budge. Now it's gotta be opened from the outside, this is the reason Gus wanted the whole locking system gutted." 

Dawn let a sarcastic laugh as the sheer ridiculousness of the whole situation hit her.

"Now don't fret, I'm sure someone will come along and call the cops and we'll be outta' here in a jiff. But if worse comes to worse the morning crew will let us out." The wolf sounded tired.

"Me? Worried? No..." Dawn chirped. "This is just the Bellwether legacy playing out the way it should right?" the thrust her arms out before letting them flop back down in a defeated slump.

"What?" Vernon asked.

"Every Bellwether is a bigoted monster. Less than a mammal. My grandpa wanted to put collars on every predator, my Dad wanted to see them all forced out of Zootopia, and me..." She sighed.

"I was the worst. I opened a Pandaro's Box when I came up with that night howler plan. Now it's out there and can be made and used by any mammal with a basic chemistry set. I-I can never undo any of this, I can never fix or atone for it. What was I even thinking trying to turn my life around Puppy?"

"Dawn, I-"

"I don't deserve it, I don't even deserve the chance. I deserve to die miserable and alone like every other Bellwether before me. That's our true legacy-"

Dawn raised and spread her arms out.

"The Bellwether's, we make everyone's life hell because we're miserable, and then we die."

Her arms flopped to her sides again, and she let out a deep sigh.

"Only I get the added honor of going down in the history books as "The Monster that nearly destroyed Zootopia."" Tears began to dribble from the ewe's face, and she started to sniffle.

"Y-You need to get away from me Puppy, I'll just d-drag you down..."

She felt the wolf tighten his grip, and press his head against her woolly hair poof.

"Now that's enough of that kinda talk Floof." He chided.

"But Pu-"

"No buts." He fired back. 

"Night howler existed long before you did Dawn, it was only a matter of time before some mammal used it for something bad." Vernon asserted.

"But I di-"

"You told me yourself that Doug put that plan together, not you. He made the howler mix himself. He would have done that whether you helped him or not right?" The wolf asked.

"Well, yes-"

"And so what about your parents? Bellwether is just a name, it doesn't define who you are. You can live your own life Dawn, you don't have to be miserable and alone because of what your forbearer's did." The wolf concluded.

Dawn rubbed the wolf's paws affectionately. "But I still lead Doug's rams. I still framed the mayor and hurt so many mammals. I still tried t-to k-kill-" The lamb was choking back sobs at the thought.

Suddenly she felt the wolf's paw under her chin. He tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. They were soft and forgiving, and the ewe felt herself shudder under his gaze.

"Dawn..." He started. "Do you feel bad?"

"A-awful." She began to sob. "Te-Terrible."

"Would you ever do it again, if you had the chance?" He replied.

"I-I'd kill myself b-before I'd ever do s-s-omething like that again." She looked at the wolf determinedly, tears still streaming from her eyes.

"Then you deserve a chance to change Dawn. A chance to live." She felt Vernon squeeze her tighter. "Even if nobody else thinks your a good mammal, you do it for yourself. You may never get the chance to fix what you've done, but at the very least you can try. You can't fault a mammal for that."

Vernon's eyes began to well as they continued to stare at one another. "And don't forget, you have me in your corner Dawn."

The wolf smiled, and she felt her own grin force it's way to the surface. 

"Y-you're so....s-stupid, you can't hang a-around me...W-what about your dreams? I'll mess a-all that up for you." She sniffled.

The wolf turned away from her, staring off at the end of the freezer.

"Remember the bracelets Dawn?"

Dawn's eyes went wide as the memory came rushing back to her. 

"O-oh gods. The friendship bracelets...I-it's been so long." She sniffled. 

The wolf's head came to rest against her own as he continued.

"I still have mine, granted it's back at the ranch but I still have it." She felt his jaw muscles tighten into a grin.

"No you don't!" She said, playfully slapping one of his paws.

"I do so." The wolf retorted. "I'd never let that thing go even if it reminded me that I didn't know you anymore." Vernon's voice was somber.

Dawn reached an arm up and wrapped it around the wolf, giving him a small hug. Vernon in turn squeezed the ewe again.

"The reason I bring it up is because those bracelets were a promise Dawn. Best friends forever, for everyone to see." The wolf chuckled. "Now were older, and we know all the consequences that come with that. But I'm still going to stand by it."

"Oh Puppy." Dawn whimpered, she could feel her lip trembling.

"What I want, my future of bein' an architect, it won't mean anything to me if I don't have you there to be a part of it Floofs."

Dawn laughed, a few scattered sobs working their way through.

"When I came home from school that day, I was so proud of our bracelets." Dawn wiped her eyes.

"I was just so happy to have a real friend. Some mammal who didn't think I was a dork or dweeb. And the bracelet made it real to me, to every mammal who would see it." She clasped the wolf's hooves.

"B-but my Father..." Her voice dipped, a bitterness now draping over her words. "My sober at the time Father, picked that day to notice my bracelet and start asking questions."

She felt the wolf's paws tense at the mention of her Father, and she gently squeezed back.

"I remember when he found out you were a w-wolf..." She began to sniffle again, the pain of the memory burning white hot in her mind. "He g-grabbed me by the arm so hard it d-dislocated my shoulder. All just to t-tear the bracelet off."

She stared forward blankly, her eyes glassy with tears. "I just remember the pain, and the beads glimmering as they tore loose from the string and scattered across the floor." She gave a hard sniffle. "T-that was before he hit me in the eye, and I blacked out."

"That Bastard." The wolf snarled. She could feel his body tense against her.

Dawn responded by petting the wolf's paws gently, and slowly she felt him start to relax.

"My Mother..." She sighed. "She told me once that he wasn't always like that."

She continued to stoke his paws gently as she reminisced.

"My grandfather was an even harder ram, with the same plans for my Father as my Father had for me. But my Father couldn't cut it in politics. I may have just lacked the charisma, but my Father lacked it and the intelligence to handle government documents and dealings. He was more of a science smart, or so my Mother said." Dawn chuckled at the thought. "I suppose that's why he liked Doug so much, they were..." She shuddered. "surprisingly alike."

"And after that he just started drinking right?" Vernon said dully.

"Not till my Grandfather called him a failure on his deathbed, then it started big time." 

"Ouch." The wolf replied.

"With the drinking came the abuse of my Mother, and later me." She sighed painfully.

"Why did she stay?" Vernon asked.

"Hmm?" Dawn looked up at the wolf.

"Why did she stay, your Mother I mean." The wolf replied, looking back down at her.

"She..." Dawn chuckled. "She was holding out hope that one day the Aster she knew would come back."

Vernon rested his head back on top of the ewe's. 

"Hmph." The wolf replied. "I suppose...everyone deserves a second chance." She could hear the hesitation in the wolf's voice as he croaked out the words.

Dawns eyelids were starting to grow heavy, and she dug herself deeper into Vernon's pelt.

"He's had too many by now, no that mammal is long gone. Maybe one day my Mom will see that." Dawn yawned.

"But I wish..." Dawn let out a small chuckle. "I really wish I still had that bracelet."

She felt Vernon's jaw open, and heard him let out a loud yelping yawn.

"It'd be nice." Vernon replied. "But we don't need them. We're connected even without 'em." She felt the wolf squeeze her again. "I'll always be here for you Dawn."

Dawn let out another yawn, feeling her eyelids begin to droop. "I'll always be here for you too Vernon, I'm not going anywhere."

Dawn suddenly snapped alert at the return of the terrible pounding noise. She felt Vernon's body tense up underneath her as he was roused from the sudden din as well.

"W-Wazzat!" He yelped.

"They're back!" Dawn screamed.

Over the pounding, a voice rang out loud and clear. "This is Lieutenant Judy Hopps, ZPD. Is anyone in there!?"


	17. Leap Before You Look

Vernon sat on the front counter of the Bug Burga, staring blankly toward the front of the restaurant as the first rays of the morning sun began to filter in. Now bathed in daylight, and without the adrenalin coursing through his veins, he could truly register just how devastated the place really was. The front facade of the restaurant had been almost completely obliterated, save for a few bits of dangling metal and glass that now glimmered in the light. The van had wiped out the windows, and had torn away enough support beams that the roof had begun to droop in the hole's center. The main eating area was reduced to nothing more than a blanket of scattered faux ferns and fiberglass chunks that once were fake stumps and chairs.

But the damaged hadn't stopped there. It appeared that once the rams failed to crack into the fortified freezer, they had decided to take out their aggression on everything else. Registers were battered and strewn about the back counter, money still inside. The soda fountain had been skewered with a piece of shrapnel from the front window, allowing a mix of the various colas to form a deep pool that coated the entire kitchen. Containers, baskets, everything that wasn't nailed down was strewn about like confetti. All in all, the Bug Burga looked like a war zone, and Vernon was sure he'd be out of work for a while until it all got patched up.

As he sighed, he felt a soft weight lean into him. Looking over, he smiled at the familiar lamb resting her head on his side. Vernon wrapped his arm around the frazzled ewe, pulling her closer into him as he turned back to watch the various police officers milling about. It had been a hell of a night, and even now the wolf still couldn't quite process everything that had happened. In truth he was probably just as distressed as the lamb, but with Dawn's safety on the line he had managed to stay cool and focused through most of it. Nether he or the lamb could register exactly when they had dozed off. To Vernon it seemed like he had never slept, that the ZPD had show up almost immediately after Dawn had calmed down. He was still blinking at the rising sun in slight disbelief.

Aside from that night, Vernon had only experienced two robberies during his short time at Gus' restaurant. But each time it had been as simple as giving the criminal all the money out of the register, which was usually very little, and letting them go. Gus had always been a strong proponent of the importance of protecting your own life over the loss of a few Zbucks, and Vernon always kept to that. The ZPD always managed to catch the mammals responsible, and the money was always returned.

But those had been the work of desperate preds looking for survival money. They weren't out to harm anyone. Those rams from the night before were out for blood, Dawn's blood. He was more than aware of night howler's effects. Whatever he hadn't gleaned from the news was filled in by Dawn during the occasional chit chat about her past. If even one of those shots hit him, or if he had inhaled any of the gas he knew that Dawn would have been at the mercy of a violent and uncontrollable animal. 

His size alone would have been enough to overwhelm the little ewe, and the results would have been disastrous. 

The wolf shuddered at the thought. If he were responsible for hurting or even killing Dawn, he'd never be able to live with himself.

"Well, you two certainly know how to throw a party." Detective Nick Wilde said as he approached the pair. Vernon was much too weary to growl at the cops usual smarmy shtick.

"Really blew the roof off the place, or should I say the wall." The fox chuckled. Vernon just looked back at Dawn, who pulled away from him to sit straight up.

"You can't possibly think we did this." Dawn said.

"Relax puff n' stuff, I don't think you did." The fox raised his paws defensively.

"Besides you aren't the only Bug Burga that was hit last night, thankfully you two got off light by comparison." The fox stated glumly.

"This is light?" Nick now had the wolf's attention.

"Yeah, we got Code A113's in each district. Night howler attack's across the board. Although the other locations suffered..." The fox seemed to shudder before continuing. "casualties."

"Y-you mea..." Dawn stuttered.

The fox looked down. " 'Fraid so Dawn. We had multiple mammals either torn to shreds, or gored to death while under the effects the night howler." 

"Sweet sawgrass..." Vernon muttered.

"Lamb sakes..." Dawn began to whimper.

"They managed to save a few of them. But most of the survivors are comatose, and the prognosis is pretty grim. The strangest th-"

"The strangest thing is that it was both predator's and prey that were affected." Another voice cut the fox off.

Lieutenant Hopps walked up next to the fox, holding a clip board and carrot shaped pen. She eyed the wolf and lamb suspiciously.

"Some mammals were mauled by predators, and others were gored by prey. Whoever was behind these attacks wasn't discriminating. They exposed night howler to every mammal present at the other locations." The rabbit concluded.

"What? But why?" Dawn sounded surprised.

"Well, we don't know." Judy sighed. "We're trying to figure it out right now, and what will help with that is getting some statements from the only surviving mammals of the attacks."

Judy handed off the carrot pen and paper to Vernon. It was a dense looking series of forms, mostly lined sheets of blanks that seemed to imply the rabbit was expecting a thesis. The wolf skimmed it briefly as the others continued to talk.

"We also are working on some theories but if you have anything to tell us, now would be the time Dawn." The rabbit's ears flattened as she eyed the ewe.

"I don't underst-"

"SWEET SAVANNAH!" Vernon could hear Gus wail from somewhere near the hole in the front of the restaurant.

"VERNON!? DAWN!? YOU IN THERE!?" The wolf could see the goat's head briefly pop up and around the larger officers who were gathering evidence near the opening in the wall before he seemed to find a space to squeeze around them. Gus quickly rushed over to the duo, pushing the fox and rabbit aside as he passed. Vernon placed the clip board next to him, and stuffed the carrot pen in his pocket as he prepared to face Gus. He tried to raise his head, but the slight feeling of shame managed to keep him from making eye contact with the billy. This whole mess had happened under his watch, even if he couldn't control it.

"I-I'm sorry Gus..."

"SORRY!?!" The goat yelped, causing Vernon to wince.

Suddenly the wolf felt arms around wrap around him and Dawn, pulling them both into a hug.

"DON'T BE SORRY! AFTER I SAW THE NEWS I WAS TERRIFIED YOU TWO WERE HURT! THANK THE GODS!" The goat continued to fuss.

Vernon raised his head to look at the goat. Gus was shaking as he hugged the pair, and the wolf couldn't help but smirk at how worried the goat was. Gus had always been emotionally unabashed when it came to those he cared about, and this situation seemed to be no exception. Needless to say Vernon was relieved. The wolf chuckled and gave the goat a reassuring pat. 

"Jeeze, looks like a bomb went off." Vernon looked to see Val had now managed to pop in, slowly strutting up from the blast zone toward the group.

"But what about your restaurant?" Dawn asked.

"Screw the restaurant! After I saw the reports at home, all I could picture was you two torn to shreds. It's been a massacre at every other location. I couldn't live with myself if you two died because you were working for me!" The goat released them and clutched his hooves together nervously. "I'm so glad you're both alright." Gus gave a heavy sigh of relief.

"Mr. Hornsly?" Judy asked the goat.

Gus turned to the rabbit almost startled, as if he had forgotten she was there.

"Oh, yes Officer, what can I do for you?" He chirped.

"We're actually trying to interview these two so if you don't mind-"

"Oh yes, yes, I understand." The goat raised his hooves defensively. "I'll let you go ahead." He said, stepping back from between Vernon and the officers. By this time Val had made it to the front, and Vernon could see here eyeing Nick suspiciously. The fox gave her a half lidded stare.

"There a problem miss?" Nick asked.

"So you're that fox cop huh?" Val asked.

"Technically I'm a detective now." The fox replied dully.

"Nice." Val clicked her tongue and shot the cop a pair of finger guns before turning to Vernon. 

"Hey big fella, good to see you're still alive and kicking." Her eyes shifted over to Dawn. "And you didn't kill the sheep, great!" Val grinned back at Vernon, causing him to emit a groan.

"If you both could just please let us do our jobs we'll get to you." Judy stepped forward, shooting a glare at Val and Gus.

"Well, Long ears is a bit high strung ain't she?" Val said, raising her paws defensively. Vernon could see Nick crack a smile at Val's comment.

The rabbit's brow furrowed, and she stood stiffly. The small doe pulled her badge from her chest and aimed it toward the vixen.

"Miss, I am an officer of the law, I request you show me some respect." The rabbit declared, a clear edge in her voice.

"Pfft, you're real scary for a bunny. Seriously, I'm shaking in my solepads." Val snarked.

"Ha" Nick chirped before quickly covering his muzzle. It was clear he hadn't meant to let it slip out, and his eyes went wide with terror as the rabbit's glare fell on him. There was a silent moment before the rabbit gave a huff and turned back to Val. Judy rose to stand on her tiptoes, Vernon assumed to look more imposing, and stabbed a claw at Val.

"One more word out of you without asking and I'll be arresting two mammals today!" The rabbit shouted.

"W-wait.." Vernon muttered, the rabbit's statement catching him off guard. "What do you mean "arresting'?"

The rabbit's stance softened. She let out a sigh before brushing her ears back and turning back to the wolf and lamb.

"We're getting to that." The rabbit grumbled. "Now Dawn...do you have anything you want to tell me or my partner."

"I don't understand." Dawn sputtered.

"Well..." Nick cut in. " Yesterday, there was a riot at Outback Island Prison as you probably already heard about."

Vernon shared a glance of confusion with Dawn, before turning back to the cops.

"No." Vernon and Dawn said in unison.

"How couldn't you have heard about it!? It's been all over the news!" Judy asked, slightly surprised.

"Ma'am we work nights. If it was on the afternoon news we probably didn't see it. What with the sleepin' and all." The wolf retorted.

"Well..." Nick coughed awkwardly. "It was one of the largest in the prison's history. A real mess."

"I don't follow." Vernon replied. "What does this have to do with Dawn?"

"Well some mammals took the warden captive, and used it as a means to escape the island." Nick scratched the back of his head uneasily. "And..."

"The escapees in question were Dawn's old partners. Doug Ramses, Woolter White, and Jesse Pinkram." Judy finished the fox's reluctant statement.

Vernon looked over to Dawn who had now clasped her hooves to her face in horror.

"OH GODS NO! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" She practically screamed.

Detective Wilde's face looked pained as he nodded to affirm his partner's statement.

Vernon brought his arm back around the lamb and pulled her close, rubbing her arm with his paw in a effort to comfort the now trembling lamb. She looked up at Vernon with terrified and tear filled eyes.

"He's coming for me Puppy!" She whimpered, nearly inaudible.

"He ain't getting you. I promise." The wolf replied softly.

"He sent those rams Puppy! He-"

Vernon put a finger to her mouth and gently shushed.

"The police are here now, we're gonna be alright." He stated calmly.

"I'm afraid that's not the only matter that concerns you Dawn." Judy continued. Unlike her partner the rabbit appeared stoic, seemingly unmoved by the lamb's reaction. Vernon could feel Dawn turn her head back to stare and the rabbit. The lamb was now sniffling, and Vernon continued to rub her arm comfortingly.

"W-what? S-something worse than that?" The ewe sobbed.

"Early yesterday morning-" The rabbit stopped speaking as her partner placed a paw on her shoulder. Judy looked up at the fox, who was looking at her with a glum expression. Judy let out a soft sigh before motioning for her partner to take over. Nick gave a slight nod before stepping forward.

"Early yesterday morning your parole officer, Don Polarski..." The fox looked down somberly for a moment, before returning his gaze to the pair. "...was found dead in his home in Tundra Town."

Vernon felt a shudder travel through the ewe.

"No..." She whimpered. "N-NO!"

Vernon felt the ewe bury her face hard into his side, her hot breath warming his pelt as she began to wail.

"Oh Dawn..." Vernon sighed, placing his head on top of hers and rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry."

The wolf could feel his shirt starting to soak as the ewe let out more wracking sobs. Dawn shuddered with each terrible weep.

"Autopsy showed it was from a heart attack." The fox concluded.

Vernon could feel the hot tears now bleeding through to his fur as the ewe's hacking sobs continued, muffled into his side. That's when he saw the detective's paw reach out and gently grasp the ewe's shoulder. It was a shocking gesture to the wolf, something he hadn't expected from the normally smarmy fox.

"I'm sorry Dawn, I know you cared about him." Nick said softly. "And he certainly cared a great deal about you, I can attest to that."

Vernon was surprised to say the least. That had been the nicest thing he had ever heard come out of Wilde's mouth. Vernon felt compelled to reach his own paw over, placing it on the detective's shoulder. When Nick looked at him Vernon gave a firm squeeze, and a sad but thankful smile.

"T-thank you." The ewe responded. Still choking back sobs as she removed her face from the side of the wolf.

"We think Polaraski's death and the night howler attacks are connected." Judy interjected.

"I thought you said he died of a heart attack?" Vernon asked.

Detective Wilde cleared his throat. "While no trace of drugs or poison were discovered during his autopsy, several of last nights victims who died while under the effects of the night howler seemingly died the same way, a heart attack."

" It's also similar to the way Evard Stoat died last week, heart attack, no apparent sign of foul play." Judy added.

"Y-you mean...they went after Don?" Dawn stuttered.

"Well, we don't have all the evidence yet, but it seems that way." Nick replied.

"The thing is, considering your history with Doug and the others, and the mysterious death of your parole officer, we're going to have to take you back to the station." Judy's voice seemed to falter a bit.

Vernon jaw dropped. "Wait, WHAT!?!" He stood up abruptly, startling everyone around him aside from the rabbit.

"Are you telling me you are ARRESTING DAWN!?" Vernon snapped.

"I'm afraid we have to." Nick responded sadly.

"On what grounds!? She was here with me all last night! We were both in that freezer!" Vernon stabbed a finger toward the frozen chamber. The wolf clenched his teeth as he began to feel the heat rising under his collar.

"While she has an alibi for last night, she could still be connected to the whole affair. She might have even done this o-" 

"OH RUT ME!" Vernon snarled, his anger now focused on the rabbit. "You two have just been looking for an excuse to string her up! What happened to innocent until proven guilty!?" Vernon balled his fists tightly. He could feel his claws digging into his own flesh.

"Mr. Hunt-"

"LOOK MR. HUNTER!" Judy cut off her partner. "You may have missed the news but all of Zootopia is in a uproar! This is the largest night howler based attack in the city's history, and every mammal is terrified that this is just the start of something much worse!" The rabbit was on her tip toes again, apparently trying to intimidate the wolf. It would have been laughable to Vernon under different circumstances.

"The Mayor is breathing down the neck of every ZPD branch in the city, she wants these terrorists found as soon as possible!" The rabbit huffed.

"And the order to take in Dawn came directly from her desk." Nick added, seemingly calmer than his partner.

"Besides, what are the odds Dawn isn't involve-"

Vernon had heard enough baseless accusations from the Lieutenant. The wolf lurched forward, baring his teeth in a fearsome growl. Standing tall above the rabbit, the wolf attempted to put the scare into her, as he had done with so many other bullies. But as he attempted to get in the rabbit's face and stare her down, Detective Wilde pushed between the pair. Bracing the rabbit with a protective arm, the fox bared his own teeth in a ferocity that matched Vernon's own, and in his paw he held a canister of fox away.

"STOP RIGHT THERE PUPPY!" The fox snarled, turning the safety off the spray nozzle. "I'm not sure if this stuff will work on wolves, but I'm more than willing to find out!"

The two stood, both growling as their eyes remained locked in a stare down.

"You try and you'll fin-"

"I'll go."

Vernon's attention had snapped to the small ewe still sitting on the counter. He wasn't entirely sure, but he thought that response came from Dawn.

"Floof...wha?"

"I have to go Puppy." Tears continued to stream from Dawn's eyes as she looked at him.

"But Da-"

"No buts!" She smiled weakly. "I know I'm not guilty, and so do you. So they'll have to let me out eventually." She gently hopped off the table, and brushed herself off.

Vernon felt himself panicking. He felt like he was the only sane mammal lost in a whirlwind of madness. He looked to the equally shocked officers, and then to his co-workers, seemingly pleading for some mammal to speak up. Val and Gus only looked down sadly, opting to remain silent. As he turned back to face the little ewe his ears sagged.

"D-dawn...you can't, I-"

The ewe brought her hoof up, and Vernon lowered his face to allow her to caress his cheek.

"I'll be okay Puppy. I'm a big sheep." She patted him gently before turning back to the officers.

"Just give me a few minutes to change out of these work clothes, and I'll go right away." The lamb sighed.

"Fine." The rabbit replied. "It will give us a chance to get some more information from Mr. Hornsly.

Vernon watched as the lamb carefully made her way to the back room, trying to keep from stepping in broken metal and spilled soda. As she disappeared through the open archway the wolf started to feel like he was spinning in place. Slowly he fumbled his paws over the counter before clumsily sitting himself back on it. 

Once again he felt like a powerless puppy in an un-just world. Only now, instead of losing his friend due to the bigoted ideal of misguided prey, he was losing her to a justice system desperate for someone to hang. Dawn was innocent, he knew it deep down in his gut. But the officers, the mayor, Zootopia, hell apparently even his co-workers could only see her as a monster.

Vernon felt a paw clasp over his, and suddenly he was back in the moment. He could see Lt. Hopps and Wilde interviewing Gus, the other officers still milling about collecting evidence, the now fully raised sun blaring through the hole in the front of the restaurant. As Vernon turned to see who had grabbed his paw, his eyes fell on Val who had seated herself next to him. She looked up at him with sympathetic eyes.

"Hey big guy, it'll be okay." She cooed. "They'll let her back out if she had nothing to do with it."

"She didn't have anything to do with it." Vernon grumbled.

Val was now gently petting his paw, but wouldn't meet his gaze. The discomfort was clear on her face.

"Look Vernon, I know you care about her. But you have to be prepared, she might really have-"

"She didn't Val." Vernon huffed. "Maybe you and Gus don't believe it. But I know she's innocent. This is wrong."

Finally meeting his gaze, the look of pain in her eyes became apparent. Lifting Vernon's paw she clasped it with both of her own.

"Vernon, I know you two knew each other as kids, but time changes mammals. Trust me. Now maybe she didn't do it, but what if she did? Could you handle that?" 

The wolf shook his head briskly. "I'd know."

"But Verno-"

"I'd know Val. I didn't know her back when she was the Assistant Mayor, but I know her now; and now she's back to the same lamb she was when we were little. She's afraid of her own voice Val, she wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. And damnit she's in danger!" Vernon growled softly.

Grabbing Val's paws in his own, he stared deep into her eyes. "Those cops aren't taking this seriously, And they are going to get her hurt Val! I can't let that happen. I won't!" Vernon could feel tears welling in his eyes. 

"You want me to trust you? Well how about you trust me." The wolf concluded, eyes shimmering.

The vixen closed her eyes and sighed, her muzzle curling into a smirk.

"Ha." she chuckled weakly.

Vernon watched as she quickly glanced over at the two officers, both of whom seemed to be engrossed in the billy's account, she then turned back to Vernon offering a sly grin. Reaching a paw into her coat pocket she pulled out the keys to her motorcycle and placed them in Vernon's own. She closed his finger's around them before giving him a concerned glance.

"Do what you gotta do big guy." The vixen said, before hopping off the counter. Giving a final glance back to Vernon she whispered.

"I parked out back, and try not to wreck it okay?" She gave a smirk before turning back toward the officers and continued sauntering toward them.

Vernon looked down at the keys to Val's Pandai in confusion at first, before glancing back at the vixen and smiling. A crude plan had started forming in his head. It was stupid, dangerous, and risky, but it was all he had.

Waiting until the vixen had entrenched herself deep into the cop's discussion, the wolf quietly hopped off the counter and made his way to the back. He carefully made his way around the soda pool, and the various jagged glass and metal bits in a silent approach to the dressing room. Quietly he peeked his head around the door frame to see Dawn just finishing placing her work uniform in the cubby featuring her name. She let out a small laugh as she did.

"Pft...why am I even bothering making sure this is neat?" The lamb asked at no one, before letting out a sad sounding sigh.

With her back turned, Vernon took his chance. Dashing forward he scooped up the lamb and clasped a paw over her mouth. She went to yelp before Vernon nestled his face next to hers.

"Relax Dawn! It's me!" Vernon said in a half whisper.

"Mrmn?" She asked, muffled through his paw.

"Yeah, were getting you out of here. I'm going to keep you safe from these guys alright?" He replied.

He could feel the lamb struggle in protest, mumbling pleading statements that he couldn't make out as he carried her to the back door.

Fortunately for Vernon the cops had moved the dumpster to dust for prints, and left the place wide open and unguarded. The wolf strolled out into the parking lot, doing his best to walk casually despite having a wriggling ewe in tow. Luckily the officers were all in front of the restaurant, leaving nothing standing between him and Val's cherry red high powered death machine. He gulped as he looked at the intimidating cycle.

"Well...can't be too different from a moped, right Floofs?" He asked the lamb. 

"MPPH!?" He saw Dawn's eyes go wide as her struggle intensified.

"Relax Floofs, I got this." Vernon reassured.

Sitting down on the cycle, Vernon placed the lamb in front of him and wrapped his arms around her as her brought his paws to the grips. With her mouth now uncovered, she clasped at Vernon's shirt to pull his head closer to her muzzle.

"Vernon, ARE YOU CRAZY!? " She whispered, seemingly struggling to keep her voice down.

"Crazy would be letting those cops take an innocent mammal to jail." He replied, starting the cycle. It roared to life, causing the wolf to wince and look back at the restaurant in fear. "I'll keep us hidden until they either find out you are innocent, or we do." 

"Ver-!" 

With a twist of the throttle, the wolf pulled the bike out of the space, and once he had turned the machine around, he gave the cycle a rev for good measure.

"Let's see what the baby can do!" 

Vernon hit the gas hard, causing the machine to emit a roar so loud it ripped through the silent morning. In a flash the two were at the exit of the lot, readying to turn onto the main road. Vernon gave a quick final glance at the restaurant in time to see officer Hopps and Wilde now clambering out of the front of the Bug Burga toward them. Vernon flashed the two a smug grin.

"HUNTER! STOP Righ..."

Judy's yell faded as the duo hit the road at full speed, leaving the Bug Burga in the dust. Judy's yell was quickly replaced by Dawn's own.

"VEEEEERNON!" She screamed over the rumble of the cycle, now clasping the wolf desperately.

"TEETH TO TAILS THIS THING'S GOT A LOTTA KICK HUH FLOOFS?!" The wolf yelled back, his eyes locked on the road ahead. He could already hear the sirens starting to cry out as he made a sharp turn onto Walnut Street.

"VERNON! WE NEED TO GO BACK!" Dawn yelled.

"YEAH, WE SHOULD GET ONE OF THESE HUH?" Vernon pretended not the hear the lamb as he began to weave between the morning traffic. The various mammals going about their daily business became a blur as he continued to ramp up the speed, whizzing past everything at an increasingly dangerous rate. Despite his best efforts, the sirens were growing louder.

"MAKE GOING TO WORK A LOT FASTER!" The wolf gritted his teeth as he continued hurtling down the highway. The traffic was letting up as he made it further down Walnut Street, allowing him the freedom to crank up the bike to maximum velocity. His vision was tunneling, the fear of Dawn being taken spurring his reckless behavior further. There was only one thought looping through his mind as they whizzed like a bullet down the street.

"Protect Dawn."

"STOP RIGHT NOW HUNTER!" The wolf's attention was suddenly drawn back to the city around him outside of his forward path. Looking back, his jaw dropped in shock as he saw Lt. Hopps and Wilde only a few feet away. The two were riding on a motorcycle of their own, the fox behind the wheel and the rabbit with a bullhorn aimed at the pair.

"DON'T MAKE US TAKE YOU IN TOO!" The rabbit bellowed over the bullhorn.

"Rut me." Vernon muttered quietly. "rut me, rut me, rut me!" He hissed further.

"Vernon! We need to stop right now!" Dawn protested. The ewe was thoroughly balled into the wolf's chest. He could feel her shaking, clasping onto the wolf's pelt for dear life. The wolf jerked his head away from the cops, glaring around the sides of the street for any way to lose the pair. Ahead of him was several rows of stores, with alleyways far too tight to zip a motorcycle through. As his head darted from place to place he could feel himself begin to sweat.

"No, no..." He thought. "I'm not letting this end here!"

Suddenly his eyes caught the Lowland Walnut subway terminal coming up fast. It was risky, but to Vernon it would have been riskier to turn Dawn over.

"I'VE GOT A PLAN, HOLD ON FLOOFS!" The wolf bared down further on the handle bars, trying to gain speed as they came up on the subway entrance. Once they were a few feet from the door, the wolf suddenly hit the break, taking a hard skid to the side as he attempted to line up to the door. Vernon swallowed hard, it felt like any minute he was going to lose the bike and turn the pair into a smear on the side walk, but at the last minute he managed to right the bike directly in front of the entrance. The wolf looked up to catch the officers zipping ahead of the two further down Walnut Street before flooring it down the subway stairs.

"VERNON Yo-" The cop's bullhorn trailed off as he barreled down the steps. With each harsh bump Vernon could feel his stomach turn, but the feeling was muted by the fear of losing control of the rapidly wobbling bike. Somehow they managed to make it to the bottom and swerve again without spilling out, aiming toward the nearby turnstiles.

"VERNON! STOP!" He could hear Dawn plead as they sped toward the platform. The two were now heading straight for the tall turnstile, specifically reserved for extra large mammals. A Giraffe was just making his way through as the two came up on it. It would be close, but Vernon was sure they would be able to clear it.

"Stay low Dawn!" Vernon barked, before hunching down as low as he could. He could feel Dawn compressed under him, still pawing at his pelt in terror as the two veered between the Giraffes legs and out the other side of the large turnstile. Vernon's head had barely brushed the Giraffe's tail, and as he glanced back he could see the mammal nearly fall over before making a panicked run out of the station. 

"See, we're f-"

"VERNON!"

The wolf snapped his head forward at the lamb's terror filled shriek to see the oncoming stampede of mammals getting off a subway car. With a sharp jerk the wolf weaved around an elephant, then several Ibex, and numerous other increasingly terrified mammals. He was sweating profusely now, and could hear the pounding of his own heart in his ears as each desperate turn brought him seconds away from crashing into another mammal. But somehow, he had managed to avoid everyone long enough to get to the platforms edge.

Seeing his opening, the wolf took a hard turn off the side.

"HOLD ON DAWN!" He yelped as the bike dipped into the dark. The lamb simply shrieked as the ground fell out from under them, only coming to a stop when the cycle hit the dirty tunnel floor hard. The ewe's body was thrown up from the force, slamming Dawn's full weight into Vernon's neck. The wolf stifled an agonized cough as he recovered from the impact, still too focused on escaping to fully registered the pain. He simply floored it into the dark tunnel, riding towards the Rainforest District.

Vernon turned on the headlamp, bathing the subway tunnel in partial illumination as he continued to speed down it.

"Let's see, the last train was in the station right now...that gives us about...." The wolf was muttering to himself as the cycle's motor droned on, amplified by the closed in space of the tunnel. "Maybe three minutes before the next one comes down the track."

"V-vernon!" The lamb choked. "Please...y-you have to stop!"

Vernon only half heard her as he saw the glimmer of light at the tunnel's end. It was far to bright to be the next train, and as it speedily approached the wolf easily worked out what was coming.

Thrust into the open, the pair were now in the Rainforest District proper. The sun glimmering down through the forest canopy on the open track. Many of the sub lines often ran out into long open stretches, especially in a District as layered as the Rainforest District. Vernon felt a rush of renewed confidence. They were no longer trapped in a tunnel, and as soon as the wolf found a proper point where he could pull off he reasoned the pair would be home free.

Vernon continued to scan around as they sped by, watching the various structures and mammals rush by in a blur as he looked for a good way off the train line. He whizzed past Vine St station, then Tujunga, and Liana Lane, but the stations were either too crowded or the platforms were too high. Vernon was certain there was a way off before they hit Tundra Town, but the lack of exit was getting the wolf more and more frustrated. But it only got worse as he passed under another raised railway, only to hear a familiar Bullhorn crackle to life.

"VERNON HUNTER!" The wolf felt terror grip his body as he cleared the overpass. Hearing a heavy thunk, the wolf turned to find himself once again being pursued by the rabbit and fox. The rabbit was leaning forward on the cycle, determination burning in her eyes. However, her partner Nick looked pale and terrified. It became clear to the wolf that the two had ridden up the adjourning track in an attempt to cut them off, and had ramped off it in an effort to tail him.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! STOP NOW!" Judy yelled.

The wolf gulped hard. "Damn, that is one persistent rabbit!" He thought. Turning his attention back ahead of him he did his best to ignore the pursuers, but the rabbit continued to chide.

"WE STOPPED THE TRAIN AT HIGHROAD HUNTER! YOU"RE BOXED IN! PULL OVER NOW!" 

Vernon could feel terror begin to grip him. The pair were trapped. There was little distance remaining between them and the High Road Station, and there was no way around that train. He looked down at the terrified ewe buried into his shirt, her eye's were tear filled and pleading.

"Vernon, please." She whimpered.

"Damnit! No!" His mind was screaming.

He snapped his head back up to the track, desperately scanning for any way out. Suddenly his eyes came across a large branch that grew off from the side of the approaching track. It wasn't uncommon, such growths were a consequence of the natural architecture of District. And the wolf silently thanked the gods for the fortunate act of nature. It tilted up and away from the rails, leading to a large gap over one of the District's many canals. On the other side the wolf could just make out a the edge of a cliff.

It was risky, it was insane, but it was their only chance at a clean get away. Unlike the heavy police cycle, Vernon wagered Val's bike was just light enough to clear the jump.

"DAWN HOLD ON TO ME! THIS IS GONNA BE ROUGH!" The wolf yelled as the turn drew ever closer.

"HUNTER! I WILL DART YOU IF YOU DO-"

The wolf blanked the rabbit out as he made the sharp turn onto the large branch, twisting the grip as far as it would go. The cycle rattled up the thick arm of the branch before finally rolling off the end effortlessly. Time seemed to slow to a crawl to the wolf. Vernon could hear Dawn screaming as the feeling of weightlessness came over him. He clutched one arm around Dawn aggressively as the bike sailed ever closer to the cliff side. It was at the apex of the jump the Vernon began to feel weight returning to the pair, and slowly the cliff began to pull away from his line of sight.

"Son of a bitch! We're not gonna make it! Shit! Shit!" The wolf's mind was bellowing so loudly he could practically feel it in his ears. In a desperate last attempt, Vernon pulled the two into a standing position on the bike, before making a wild leap off toward the ledge.

He clutched Dawn tightly with both arms, balling around her as he began to spin. The landscape around him became a smear, with brief lapses of clarity. Between flickers the wolf would occasionally catch sight of the falling bike, the stopped officers, the sun and back again.

With a sudden thump the wolf felt his back slam into the stone floor of the cliff, forcing the air out of his lungs. Dawn was laying on top of him, seemingly frozen in shock at the sudden stop. Vernon released an arm and used it to push himself up to a sitting position, and let out a choking gasp. 

Across the gap, Vernon could see a furious rabbit and an exhausted looking fox staring at him. They had stopped at the base of the branch, too fearful to make the jump themselves. The rabbit seemed to be cursing up a storm, but the wolf was too far away and shaken up to make any of it out.

Despite his ragged breath, Vernon managed to scramble to his feet, slinging the still dazed ewe over his shoulder. He was just about to flee when he heard a loud splash. Peering over the cliff side he could just barely make out one of Val's motorcycle tires as it sank beneath the raging river below. The water gurgled briefly as it let out a few last, dying gasps before burning out.

"Shit....Val's gonna kill me." The wolf groaned softly.

Vernon glanced back up to find the officers still perched in their stationary cycle. The rabbit had thrown her bullhorn to the ground, and was clutching her paws to her face. Detective Wilde in the meantime seemed to be chattering on his police radio, most likely to call for back-up.

The wolf gave the duo a salute.

"Good luck on solving that case officer's, I know you'll find the culprit!" The wolf grinned smugly, and with a nod he carried Dawn off into the nearby brush.


	18. The Sheep Enclosure

The Rainforest District is thought to be the largest District in the entire city of Zootopia by many of it's citizens. It is a common joke that the wall separating the biome from the others is more of an effort to contain it rather than to differentiate it. The lush and moist conditions cause the natural flora of the land to swell and expand into every available nook and cranny. But on top of the voracious foliage, it is also made up of levels of stacked stores, housing, and natural areas that if laid out would probably turn out to be bigger than the rest of the city three times over. That being said, even Rainforest District natives found themselves getting lost amidst the dense jungles, and overgrowth of the wilder and untamed parts of the District.

Dawn wasn't sure how much time had passed before she regained consciousness. At some point when matters had reached a fevered pitch, the little ewe had simply blacked out. The first thing she was certain of was that she was moving, but not walking. The leaves and vines were slowly passing her by. It had also started raining at some point, and the falling droplets continued to speckle her un-even frames. Her hooves were trembling as she brought one up to wipe her soaked lenses clean, in an effort to get a better look of her surroundings. Looking down she could see the ground, and Vernon's tail gently swaying beneath her. Gingerly she grasped his shoulder blade and squeezed it a few times to make sure what was happening was real.

"Ouch, easy there Floof's." She heard the wolf groan. "I'm still sore from the landing."

With the wolf's utterance the memory came flooding back. It had happened, all of it. The motorcycle, the high speed chase, the near death experience of the jump. It had all really happened. With the initial shock finally starting to fade, the ewe could feel herself begin to seethe.

"Vernon, put me down." She said firmly.

"Easy Floofs, I'll put you down once we find a place to get out of the rain." The wolf replied.

"VERNON, NOW!" The ewe snapped.

Dawn felt the wolf come to a stop. Slowly she felt herself lift before being gingerly placed down in front of the large wolf.

"Floofy, we really need to get-"

"Vernon. How could you? The ewe looked at him with sharp eyes.

"W-what?" Vernon replied.

"HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO STUPID!" The ewe began to swat at the wolf with all her might, swinging and slapping with reckless abandon.

"Hey, Hey." Vernon tried to gently push her back, but she continued to slap. Dawn could feel tears pooling in her eyes.

"YOU DUMB MUTT! YOU STUPID, STUPID DOG!" Vernon grabbed both of her hooves to restrain her, and she flailed against him as he crouched down to her level.

"Hey, now. Dawn that's-"

"I DON'T CARE!" The ewe pulled away sharply, causing him to let go of her hooves. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" She continued to shout.

"HEY, I SAVED YOU!" The wolf finally snapped.

Dawn marched back up to the wolf and gave him a hard slap across the muzzle, causing him to yelp in pain. Vernon stumbled back before falling on his rump in front of Dawn. The wolf held his cheek, looking at the ewe in shock. Under any other circumstance, Dawn would have never done something so daring. The wolf was easily three times the size of her. But remembering the stunt with the motorcycle was filling her with a rush adrenalin.

Dawn could feel anger burning inside her, and it was terrifying. The ewe had done all she could to repress that feeling. Everything that had happened to her since prison the sheep had taken with silent resignation. She knew deep down she had deserved it all, not even Vernon could convince her otherwise. But if there was one thing that still managed to get under the ewe's wool, it was being reminded just how weak and small she was. It was that feeling that drove her to try to take over Zootopia all those years ago, and it remained a painful reminder of her past crimes. And now her best friend, the wolf she was falling for had made her feel that way again. He had taken away her choice, and forced the two of them along despite her protest. Her feeble resistance and small size had made it impossible to stop him from enacting his insane rescue plan. His thoughtless act had opened the floodgates, and incurred the long dormant wrath of Dawn.

"I DIDN'T NEED SAVING VERNON!" She yelled back at him. "I chose to go with them!" She balled her fists.

"B-but." The wolf sniffled. "You don't deserv-"

"I DO VERNON! I DO!" The sheep snarled. Walking closer to Vernon, the ewe placed her hooves on both sides of the wolf's muzzle and stared him directly in the eyes. 

"It was my choice to go, not yours!" She asserted. "I was willing to go to jail!"

"But you're innocent." Vernon weakly replied, his lip quivering. " It's not right, those two cops have it out for you Floofs."

Dawn looked up at the forest canopy and sighed. Releasing the wolf's face, she turned and walked away from him. 

"I know I'm innocent, okay?" She extended her hooves before letting the drop to her sides. " But they would have let me out eventually. They didn't have any evidence Vernon!"

She turned back to stare at the crumpled wolf, crossing her arms.

"Now not only do they have me for fleeing police custody, but they'll arrest you too!" The ewe leaned toward the wolf to shout the last bit.

Vernon clambered to his feet, rubbing his muzzle from the previous belting.

"I don't care Dawn. I promised I was-"

"And that stunt with the motorcycle, you almost KILLED US VERNON!" Dawn clenched her fists again as she stared the lumbering wolf down.

The wolf's head sunk under the ewe's tirade, his body exuding shame.

"JUDY COULD HAVE DARTED YOU! WHO KNOWS HOW BADLY HURT YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN IF YOU FELL OFF!" She continued. "AND...AND" The ewe was grasping now, her rage was reaching a head.

"ALL THIS FOR ME!? TO PROTECT ME!?" Dawn's breath was ragged now, and she was biting at the air. In response the wolf's ears had dipped, and his overall presence seemed to shrink.

"WHY? VERNON WHY? WHY RISK YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT!?" The ewe concluded, panting hard.

Her panting dwindled, and eventually came to a stop as she waited for an answer. It was silent for a long while before the wolf managed to croak out a word.

"I-I-" The wolf's voice was cracking.

Vernon raised his head, and Dawn could see his eyes red and swelling with tears despite the steady rainfall.

"I don't want to lose you again Dawn." The wolf sniffled. "I can't."

Dawn could feel her anger fading as she stared into the sad wolf. His glassy eyes bringing her back to the memory of the little wolf she had met on the playground. It wasn't thoughtless, Vernon wasn't the thoughtless kind. It was all a misguided attempt to protect his friend in the face of an injustice, just like all those years ago. A friend who he had obviously seen as powerless to the whims of everyone else's sharp judgment. With her anger dissipating, it was becoming increasingly clear that Vernon's actions were not driven by her perceived weakness, but because of his own fears.

"It was stupid, I know." The wolf shook his head. "I g-guess I got more of my Mom's impulsiveness then I'd like to admit." He sniffled hard.

"B-but I thought, I-If I let them take you..." Vernon pawed at his tear soaked eyes. "T-they'd never let you out."

"Vernon." Guilt was starting to wash over Dawn.

"I know w-what you're gonna say." The wolf continued. "That they'd have to let you out, they d-didn't have any evidence." The wolf wiped his eyes with his arm, seemingly trying to do whatever he could to stop the tears.

"But w-what's to say they don't drum some charges up. Find some excuse to l-lock you away again. I couldn't bear it." The wolf began to choke out a few stray sobs, his attempts to suppress the tears clearly weren't working.

"To h-have you back in my life, only to have you taken away again by a b-bunch of scared mammals l-looking for someone to blame. I..." The wolf's head dropped again, obscuring his face from the now teary eyed Dawn. "It would feel like some mammal twisted a k-knife into me."

Vernon lifted his head, his composure seemingly regained although his eyes remained glossy. "I had to do something, anything. I'm sorry it was so stupid." Vernon shook his head.

Dawn slowly walked up to Vernon. Once she was within a few inches of the wolf, she wrapped her hooves around his waist and hugged tightly. Looking up, her eyes met the wolf's own confused face.

"V-Vernon..." Dawn's eyes darted away from his as she spoke. "I care about you." She buried her face into her chest, to hide the blush she knew was building.

"I care about you more than any mammal I've ever met." She sighed.  
She could feel one of Vernon's paws begin to gently rub her back.

"I don't want to leave you either, I know that now." She chuckled as she threw her head back to look at him again. Vernon's eyes were still glossy.

"But we can't do things this way. You know that."

The wolf was silent, the tears in his eyes beginning to rise as he reluctantly nodded.

"I have to go back Vernon. I have to apologize, say anything I can to prevent you from getting jailed, and go with Judy and Nick. You understand that right?" Dawn felt her own tears beginning to stream down her face.

Vernon sniffled hard, before managing to croak out a reluctant "Y-yeah."

"I have to Vernon, I choose to." She sniffled.

Vernon looked away, only for Dawn to reach up and grab his shirt, pulling him back to face her.

"You'll be in my corner, right Puppy?" She smiled through her tears.

The wolf closed his eyes hard, and he choked out another ragged sob.

"Of course, I-I'll be right there w-waiting for you...always."

Dawn buried her head back into the wolf's abdomen. She was still crying but she remained silent, savoring the last hug from her Puppy that she was sure she'd be receiving for a while. The two stayed like that for awhile before dawn reluctantly broke the embrace. Looking back up at the wolf, she smiled weakly. Vernon, in-turn, smiled a faltering smile back.

"Okay. So how do we get back?" Dawn asked.

"The road's fairly close by." The wolf said, attempting to peer over the overgrown wilderness. " My brother used to work in the Rainforest Precinct before he got bumped up to Tundra Town. He told me how easy it is to hide and get lost in this place, It's why most cops hate working at Precinct Four." The wolf stated.

"Oh?" Dawn replied.

"Yeah, that's why I thought it would be a good idea to hide out here, hard to find. But you can still stay close to the roads without being seen." Vernon murmured as he pointed toward the nearby overgrowth of weeds. "Road's that way." The wolf began to push through the tall grass, and the ewe quickly followed suit.

"What about the traffic camera system? Surely that helps." Dawn queried.

"This plants in this District grow like crazy, so half the time the cameras are getting blocked out by leaves, and the other half the time the plants grow into the camera and destroy the mechanism. From what my brother said, the camera crews up keeping them were fast, but not quite fast enough to keep them all running constantly. How do you think the cops didn't find us for three hours?" The wolf chuckled, pushing weeds out of the way.

"We've been out here for THREE HOURS?" The ewe blurted out in shock.

"Jeeze, you were really out of it." Vernon chuckled.

As the last bit of the brush fell away, the two finally reached this side of a roadway. Looking around, Dawn couldn't tell exactly where the duo were. The road was clearly a more rural one, less traveled then most of the district. Each side was equally flanked by jungle.

"Where exactly are we?" She tugged on the wolf's shirt, causing him to look down at her. The wolf scratched his head sheepishly.

"Welp, we crashed Val's bike pretty far North, so I'd reckon by now were nearly at the border between the Rainforest District and The Meadowlands. Somewhere around Cliffside."

Dawn shuddered at the thought of Cliffside, home to the asylum that had housed the mammals she had infected with night howler. She shook her head briskly in an attempt to shrug the terrible memories away.

"How far are we from a main road?" Dawn asked.

"If we head south we'll probably hit one in a few minutes. From there it should be easy to find a cop." Vernon muttered sadly, it was clear the wolf was still hesitant about turning her in.

Dawn took the lead, walking ahead of the wolf down the road to give him little time for second thoughts. The lamb looked back to find the wolf reluctantly beginning to follow her.

"Keep your eyes peeled for any cars Puppy, maybe we can hitch a ride to the nearest phone." Dawn chirped at the forlorn wolf. 

"Yeah..." She could barely make out the grumbled reply.

The lamb continued her stalwart trot, eager to get as far away from Cliffside as she could. The end of the lane lead to another side street, again featuring no traffic. As the march went onward, the two remained silent. Dawn could feel the awkwardness in the air, Vernon's reluctance and the shared sadness between the two leaving little urge to speak. Dawn tried to find the words to break the silence, but found herself struck dumb. 

"Oh! I forgot I had this!" 

Dawn turned at the sudden excited outburst to find Vernon holding a familiar orange pen in the air triumphantly.

"This was that cop's right? It has buttons! Maybe it's some kind of tracker or beacon?" The wolf mused.

Dawn walked back up to the wolf, trying to stifle a laugh.

"No such luck, It's just a dime store recorder pen." Dawn replied.

Vernon's ears drooped briefly, only to snap back up with renewed enthusiasm. Handing off the pen to the ewe, the wolf gave a weakly optimistic grin.

"Well, maybe if we return it she'll be more lenient regarding our little get away?" 

Dawn chuckled again. "Judy's probably got a ton of these, they probably sell them at every cheap rabbit gift shop in town." The ewe tucked the pen in her breast pocket, patting it gently after placing it.

"Hey, specific mammal gift stores can be pretty nifty. That's where I got your mug, Shepard's Gift's in Savannah Central. Man you should have seen the odd looks I was getting from the clerk when I picked that up." Vernon cracked a cheesy grin.

Dawn nearly doubled over with laughter. The idea of a wolf as big as Vernon in a tiny shop for sheep was absolutely priceless, and it took the ewe a moment for the lamb to regain her composure.

"Hey, a van!" Vernon interrupted, raising his paw to get a better view down the highway. 

Dawn turned around to catch a glimpse of the oncoming car, letting out an exasperated sigh as she spotted the white van shambling up the lonely road.

"Finally, some sign of civ-"

"Dawn, t-that van...th-that ca-"

Vernon didn't get a chance to complete the thought as the van suddenly let out a loud screech. In the blink of an eye, the van went from cruising to hurtling at the two.

"VER-!" Was all Dawn got the chance to say before she felt to wolf grab her, and pull her into his arms. Before she knew it they were running down the opposite end of the road. Vernon was bounding at a mad pace, but despite his speed Dawn could hear the van approaching fast. Clambering up the wolf's side, she managed to peek her head over his shoulder to watch the oncoming car. It was still coming fast, rapidly closing the distance between itself and the pair.

"VERNON! INTO THE BUSH-"

With no warning, the van suddenly stopped, revving it's engine menacingly at the mammals. Dawn was about to tell Vernon what happened when she felt the wolf' come to a complete stop.

"Vernon, what's wro-"

Words failed Dawn as it quickly became apparent why the wolf had come to a sudden halt. Now parked at the other end of the road was another beat up white van, revving it's own engine as if calling to the other vehicle like a wild animal. Dawn watched Vernon's head snap back and forth, his expression becoming more and more panicked with each glance at the offending vans. With a roar the two vans came to life again, each now bearing down on the trapped mammals.

"VERNON! BUSHES! NOW!" Dawn yelped!

Vernon looked to the lamb briefly only to nod, before barreling into the nearby bushes. As he bounded with breakneck speed through the brush, the lamb could make out the sound of the cars coming to a sharp stop.

"FAN OUT! THEY CAN'T GET FAR!" A fading voice bellowed.

"How in the hell did they find us before the cops!? Vernon sputtered, trying to keep various branches from getting in his face as he ran.

"I don't know! Just keep going!" Dawn replied, now clutching the wolf's arm tightly as he carried her.

As Vernon cleared a particularly large log, a gunshot rang out over the sounds of the jungle.

"That doesn't sound like a dart gun!" Vernon yelped.

"Oh gods, oh gods..." Dawn mumbled.

Dawn watched as the wolf continued to rush through the oncoming brush. Looking up at Vernon, she could see the terror in his eyes. In that moment she felt shame overtake her. Here she had been getting mad at Vernon, and now once again her problems had dragged the two of them into a life or death situation. This is what she wanted to avoid, this is what she couldn't bear to do to the wolf. As if reading her thoughts, Vernon glanced down at the ewe.

"We're getting out of this Floofs, I swear it." The wolf panted through gritted teeth.

Another gunshot rang out as the two entered a clearing in the woods. Vernon stopped in the center, sniffing the air and peering around.

"W-why'd you stop?" Dawn asked nervously.

The wolf's eyes darted to the brush on their right, then left. Then his head suddenly jerked to look over his shoulder. 

"Damn, damn, damn." The wolf growled.

"what!? WHAT!?" Dawn grasped at the wolf's arm tighter.

"I can see the tops of the brush moving from those three directions..." The wolf groaned. "There's more of them, and they're trying to box us in."

"W-what do we do!?" Dawn stuttered.

The wolf didn't answer, simply wrapping his other arm around the ewe and barreling forward through the brush at the far end of the field. There were more gunshots as the continued the chase, seeming growing closer with each passing minute.

"They're signaling each other." The wolf huffed. 

The brush came to an abrupt end, and the two found themselves at the edge of a path, leading straight up to a sky tram platform. The most recent gondola was just leaving the station as the two were frozen, trying to absorb just where they had ended up.

"TOURIST PATH! SON OF A...!" Vernon growled.

"OH GODS! ARE WE TRAPPED!?" Dawn sputtered.

Vernon suddenly grabbed her shoulder, looking Dawn in the eyes. He was sweating profusely, and his eyes were filled with fear.

"They knew the area, they must of done this on purpose...we...I don't know what to do Dawn!" The wolf panted. "I-I-" The wolf's ears sagged.  
Dawn looked away from the wolf toward the loading platform for the sky trams. 

"W-What about the sky tram?" She stammered.

"They'll be on us before the next one comes in." Vernon replied.

It was then an idea struck Dawn, a way to clear her name and make a clean get away. But it would all depend on how long she could keep whoever was leading her pursuers talking.

"Puppy, I have an idea." Dawn grinned weakly.

"As bad as mine?" Vernon replied.

A single mad cackle escaped Dawn's muzzle in response. "Probably worse, but it's all I have."

After divulging her plan, the two mammals backed themselves up against the nearby platform, as close as they could to the edge and waited. Vernon stood firmly behind Dawn, his paws on her shoulders gripping tightly. She gently pet one of his paws, looking up to give the wolf a weak smile. If Vernon even had an inkling of doubt about her crazy plan, his face didn't show it. Vernon smiled a toothy grin at the ewe.

"Whatever happens, I've got your back Floofs." The wolf said.

It only took a few moments for the rams to begin to filter out of the brush. There were six in all, dressed to the nines in full hazmat regalia. Dawn could hear Vernon's growl grow louder with each ram that came out of the brush like ghosts through a fog. All of them had guns at the ready, aimed directly on the pair. A hush fell over the scene, like an old western stand off as the two sides waited for each other to move. A sudden 'Ahem' drew the duos attention back to the brush directly in front of the platform. As the weeds parted, Dawn's gritted her teeth at the ram who revealed himself. She hadn't expected it, but it wasn't surprising in the least.

"Mouflon!" She growled.

"Oh Dawn, you don't sound surprised to see me." The older ram chuckled.

"A ram as nasty as you? I'd find it hard not to suspect you being up to something evil." The ewe snarled.

"Oh please, my tenure at Alpine Crag Correctional has been nothing short of stellar. I've received awards for my tireless commitment to rehabilitation." The ram chuckled softly. "I even denied parole for Zootopia's worst criminal at every opportunity despite my eventually being outvoted. Most may see me as a hard ram, but an honorable one. You're the only one who'd think so lowly of this public servant."

"Make that two, you grizzled old Tup!" Vernon snarled.

Mouflon chuckled as he walked closer to the two.

"And I see you're still traveling with that mangy mongrel, how quaint." 

"Who you callin' mangy, greywool!?" Dawn could feel Vernon's grip on her shoulders tighten. Reaching a hoof up, she placed it on one of his paws and squeezed it back.

"Although I must say, I was disappointed we weren't able to get him to rip you to shreds, but still this dumb hound's stupid antics placed you right back into our hooves." Dawn watched as Mouflon drew his own pistol from a holster at his side.

"Really it ended up working out perfectly, well almost." He sneered.

"How did you find us!?" Vernon growled at the old ram.

"A little police radio scanning, causing inconveniences to keep the police away from where we thought you were. We could have done a great deal better if we had access to the traffic cams, but we didn't have our little dictator working for us this time around did we?" He flashed the ewe a smug grin. "Unfortunately that doesn't give us too much time to play, that's why we have to make this quick." The ram flicked his wrist, causing the chamber of the gun to spring open.

"After all, we don't need the police showing up too early to our little staged suicide now do we?" Mouflon gave a hearty laugh.

"If you wanted to kill me, why all this torture!? Why not just do it earlier!?" Dawn sputtered. 

"Trust me, I would have loved too." The ram sneered, placing a round in the empty chamber. "But that damn Doug was so determined to get you to play ball. He was so dead set on getting you back into the fold. Obsessed would be a better term." Mouflon growled.

"The fire was his crude attempt at giving you the motivation to come back around to his way of thinking, as well as our little dart attempt on your wolf friend." Mouflon feigned a shocked expression. "Oops, cat's out of the bag Doug." He snickered.

"And Don?" Dawn whimpered.

Mouflon stopped loading his pistol for a moment, doing his best to stifle a bellowing laugh.

"That old fool?" Mouflon grinned. "He was causing us far too much trouble." The ram gazed up at the sky, letting out another barking laugh before setting his eyes on the pair again.

"After the little incident with your apartment, Polaraski had taken to hiding your location from everyone at the prison. He may not have known who it was, but he knew someone in the prison was tracking you. I'm afraid the poor old bear was a bit too smart for his own good." The ram sneered.

"I can't say I didn't enjoy watching him die though." The ram glowered. "Polaraski had always been a pain, too soft hearted for prison work. Quite surprising for filthy predator scum." 

He closed his eyes, a look of pure pleasure coming to his face. "It's quite funny..." He sighed. "No matter what we did to him, he wouldn't tell us where you lived. He was quite loyal."

His grin widened to fiendish proportions. "Made it all the more pleasurable to watch him suffer under the gas, his agonizing screams were almost musical."

Bringing his pistol back at the ready, the ram shook his head. "Of course killing Don had the added benefit of removing another one of your supports. I mean if you had no one to turn to Doug was certain would make you come back to him. We hadn't counted on the dog though." The ram hissed.

"So that's what this all is, Doug's lame attempt at winning me over?" Dawn's eyes were tearing at the thought of Don's suffering, but inside she was burning with utter hatred for Mouflon. 

"Oh ho, ho." The ram chuckled, loading another round into his pistol. "No, no Dawn. It's much bigger than that. Greater, grander. You've been nothing more than a distraction that's threatened to undo year's of planning." He waived his pistol at Vernon. "You and that mutt."

Closing the barrel, the ram cocked the weapon. "I was actually just supposed to bring you in, but I feel you two have been too much of a threat to this operation for far too long. Despite what Mr. Ramses wanted, I was out to kill you both last night by any means. Play it off as a simple an accident, the plan spiraling out of control. But ironically the plan did spin out of control." The ram grit his teeth.

"But I can make this work, I'll just tell Doug that things got out of hoof on this little recovery mission and I had to kill you both. Even if he finds out, it won't matter. The threat you pose will be eliminated, and everything will be smooth sailing from here on out." He grinned, aiming the muzzle of the gun at the ewe.

"You're mad!" Vernon snarled.

Mouflon merely chortled. "The Zootopian Gazette would have a field day with this one. 'Dawn Bellwether dies in bizarre suicide pact after evading police custody.'" The ram scoffed. "Well, maybe if there was still going to be a Zootopian Gazette by tomorrow."

"What are you saying?" Dawn growled.

"No, no, no." Mouflon shook his head. "I've seen far to many television serials to know it's poor form to reveal the details of your plan to your enemy, no matter how sure you are of victory." 

Dawn felt Vernon squeeze her shoulders tightly, tapping his index fingers as he did. It was the signal Dawn had been waiting for, it was almost time.

"But I will say this..." Mouflon grinned. "Those Bug Burga attacks were only the beginning. We have grand plans for this city Dawn, grand plans that will do much better without you anywhere near them. I'm not going to let Doug's pining for an old flame screw up what we've worked so hard on!" He growled.

"The best part is, no one will miss you. In fact if things do go wrong, it will be so easy to frame you. Who wouldn't suspect the monster that nearly destroyed Zootopia to be responsible for all of this? The only mammal that knows the truth..." He waived his gun at Vernon. "will be taking it to the grave." The ram began to cackle loudly, clearly enjoying wielding power over the pair.

"Those Bug Burga attacks were only the beginning. We have grand plans for this city Dawn, grand plans that will do much better without you anywhere near them. I'm not going to let Doug's pining for an old flame screw up what we've worked so hard on!" Mouflon seemed to freeze as his words were thrown back at him.

"The best part is, no one will miss you. In fact if things do go wrong, it will be so easy to frame you. Who wouldn't suspect the monster that nearly destroyed Zootopia to be responsible for all of this? The only mammal that knows the truth... will be taking it to the grave." Dawn revealed the orange carrot shaped pen from behind her back, holding it up for the old ram to see.

"Got any more for me? Or do you think this is enough evidence for the ZPD?" Dawn grinned at the ram smugly.

"What is this!?" The old ram sputtered.

"It's...It's um..." Dawn scratched her chin as she desperately tried to remember the words Judy had used on her so many years ago.

"It's called a hustle sweetheart." she finally rattled off. "Yeah, that was it!" She mumbled quietly to herself.

"And that's out cue!" Vernon shouted.

With one swift motion the wolf scooped the lamb back into his arms and dove off the side of the platform. They could hear Mouflon's gun fire as the pair landed on top of an on-coming tram. As it rose back above the cliff side, Vernon slung the two into the tram carriage, and once inside Dawn slammed her hoof on the button to skip the station where Mouflon was still waiting. With the gondola in full view of the rams, the pair ducked behind its protective shell as a flurry of bullets began to fire at them.

"SHOOT THEM YOU IDIOTS!" Dawn could hear Mouflon cry, as the tram continued to move up and away from the rams.

More stray shots rang out, a few leaving bullet holes in the sides of the compartment as the two stayed as low as they could. Dawn prayed that the two would remain lucky enough to get out of range before one of the shots managed to graze them.

The gunfire continued, before growing quieter and eventually stopping all together. For a moment Dawn thought they were fully out of range of the crazed rams before she heard Mouflon's voice cry out.

"THIS ISN'T OVER DAWN!"

Dawn didn't move from her position pressed against the floor of the tram, but she couldn't resist responding.

"APPARENTLY YOU DIDN'T WATCH ENOUGH T.V. SHOWS TO LEARN TO KEEP YOUR MONOLOGUES SHORT!" She heard the wolf chuckle in response.

Turning around to Vernon, she placed a hoof on the side of his face and gently caressed it.

"Are you hurt?" She asked.

"Nah...those rams can't shoot for shit." The wolf grinned.

Dawn let out a chuckle.

"How bout you?" Vernon asked, concern lacing his features.

"A bit frazzled, but fine." She gave a weak grin.

"That was a crazy plan!" The wolf laughed.

"What can I say, I think you're rubbing off on me Vernon Hunter." The ewe gave the wolf's shoulder a playful push.

"So..." Vernon mumbled. "Do you think we can stand up in this thing now or...?"

"Just to be safe, we should stay on the floor till we get to the next station." Dawn laughed.

Meanwhile, less than a mile away. A heated argument is going on between a familiar pair of cops until it is interrupted by a dispatcher's report.

"Hopps, Wilde, this is Clawhauser. Someone reported shots being fired near Cliffside. Local traffic cam caught a wolf and Sheep riding in a sky tram on it's way to Cliffside asylum."


	19. Old Wounds

Detective Nick Wilde sat in Judy and his patrol car, staring blankly out at the foliage and lush greens of the Rainforest District. His eyes were tired, and he brought his paw up to wipe them in a desperate attempt to bat away the sleepiness. The excitement of the mornings events had already wiped out the poor fox, but he was doing his best to keep his wits sharp and eyes focused. It had been three hours, and they still hadn't found Dawn or Vernon. They had been following a trail of vague and spotty sightings from working cameras, but they still hadn't been able to cut them off. On top of that, they seemed to be running into every possible construction and road project in the district in their efforts to bag the two.

"Nick, are you even listening?"

Nick grunted in response to Judy's question. The rabbit had spent the past three hours spitting out a tirade of complaints and lamentations about failing to catch Dawn. By now Nick had tuned it all out, after the first twenty minutes it had all boiled down to the same rotation of complaints and Nick was tired of hearing it. Especially since the fox was biting his tongue on telling Judy exactly why Dawn had slipped through her fingers.

"UGGH!" The rabbit groaned, causing the fox to glance over at her. She was now slumped over the steering wheel, with her ears draped over her face.

"Here I am, trying my best to catch those two fugitives and my partner is daydreaming!" She pounded a paw against the dashboard.

"I've heard it already Carrots." Nick grunted. "I have my eyes on the road and my ears on the radio. There's not much else I can do at this point." Nick groaned.

"Ugh." The rabbit lightly hit her head against the dash board a few times. "I was too soft on her! I should kept my eyes on her at all times! Someone should have went back there with her!"

"Apparently 'ol Puppy is the one we should have kept our eyes on." Nick chuckled.

Judy turned to look at him, her face seemingly disgusted. "Ugh, what was his problem anyway!? Why does he care what happens to Dawn?"

"They're pretty close. I mean they have been sharing an apartment since the fire." Nick said plainly.

"I still can't believe they LIVE TOGETHER!" Judy sputtered. "It's so weird!"  
Nick stifled a chuckle, leaning in and giving the rabbit a half lidded stare.

"Really?" Nick arched his eyebrows, exaggerating an confused expression. "Seems normal to me, although I may be biased." The rabbit rolled her eyes in response.

"Y-you-" The rabbit stammered. "You know what I mean." The rabbit jousted her arms out.

"How could a predator stand being around a mammal with Dawn's history?" Judy's arms flopped back to her sides, and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Beats me. But whatever the reason he seems dead set on proving she's innocent." The fox took his coffee from the nearby cup holder, and proceeded to take a swig.

"Yeah, highly likely." Judy scoffed. "C'mon, it's Doug we're talking about here. You know she's involved somehow." The rabbit sighed. "I should have just cuffed her the moment we got there."

"No, the problem is you went in too hard Carrots." Nick's eyes went wide. He hadn't meant to let that slip out, but his exhaustion had gotten the better of him. Looking back at Judy, he could see her nose twitching in annoyance.

"What!?" The rabbit sneered.

Nick sighed, he had gotten himself into this mess, and so he thought it best to press onward and get it over with.

"You went in there all ready to bag Bellwether for a criminal charge. The Mayor may have called for us to take her in, but we both know between the evidence from the arson case and the alibi for Polaraski's murder is more than enough to make any criminal charges dubious." Nick cleared his throat before taking another sip of coffee. "I told you before we went it that we should make it clear that taking her in was more for her protection anyway. But you ended up scaring 'ol Puppy into doing something stupid."

The rabbit stared at Nick, jaw agape. "I can't believe this! Who's side are you on Nick!?"

"I'm on the side of figuring out the whole truth behind this thing Carrots!" Nick raised his voice. "And it makes it harder to do that when you fly off the handle like that!"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" The rabbit huffed. "Some friend you are Nick."

That stung the fox. Was Judy even serious? Was she even aware what she had just said. Either way that had been enough to set the fox off. He involuntarily pulled out his fox spray, and began flicking the nozzle on and off.

"SOME FRIEND I AM!?" Nick yelped. "SOME FRIEND I AM!?" He repeated.

The rabbit seemed to shrink at Nick's words.

"Carrots, I always back you up no matter what. We live together, we hang out together all the time! But I disagree with you once and your writing off our friendship over it!?" Nick snarled.

"It's not just this!" Judy protested. "You lied to me about the arson case! You never even told me about it till yesterday!"

"And you didn't tell me you held on to Dawn's number, did you Carrots?" The fox retorted. "You can't tell me you don't see why keeping the case from you until it was impossible was the only thing I could do!"

Judy grit her teeth. "Oh why!? Because I'm so emotional!? Bunnies are oh so emotional!" The rabbit placed her arm against her face, leaning back and making a fainting gesture.

"Oh don't make it about that!" Nick huffed. "It's not because you are a bunny! It's because she screwed you over! She screwed us over!" The fox barked, flicking the safety nozzle even more aggressively.

Judy let out an over exaggerated sigh, before waiving a paw at the fox spray. "AND THIS!" Judy snarled. "WHY DO YOU KEEP THIS HORRIBLE STUFF ON YOU!?"

The rabbit went to grasp at the bottle, only for the fox to pull it away. She continued to paw at it, causing Nick to have to keep her at bay by pushing her away by the head.

"IT'S TO MOCK ME RIGHT!? THE SPECIEST BUNNY AND HER SPECIEST FAMILY! LOOK AT HOW BACKWOODS THEY ARE! THEY STILL MAKE FOX REPELLANT FOR 'EM!" Judy flailed at him.

"It's because..."

"YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT BOTHERS ME! WHY NICK!? WHY!?" The rabbit continued to swat at the fox.

"IT'S TO PROTECT YOU!" Nick shouted, going silent as soon as the words left his muzzle.

Judy's flailing came to a sudden stop, her face now twisted up in utter confusion. She stared at the fox, ears drooping.

"W-what?' She muttered.

Nick sighed, running a paw over his scalp. It was time to tell her, tell her everything. He was finally going to make good on his promise to Finnick. Nick swallowed hard, scratching the back of his head as he tried to steel himself for the difficult conversation.

"Judy...." He mumbled uncomfortably. "I-" The fox looked down. "Your family was right about foxes okay?"

"What?" She replied.

"These past few years on the force, I've seen so much." Nick continued. "So many foxes involved domestic disturbances, drug crime, gang violence. I tried not to let it get to me at first. But as time went on it just started to wear me down." Nick leaned on his paw and sighed.

"I told myself it was just the nature of the job. That all I was going to see was the bad elements of society. But so many of our cases involved foxes Judes." He groaned. "I found myself wondering more and more often, 'They couldn't all be putting up a front like I was back before we met, could they?'"

Nick let out another sigh. "I tried to be sympathetic Carrots, I really did. I had a rough childhood too. But..."

"When that drunk bit you..." Nick felt a chill run down his spine as recalled the rabbit's accident. "I just gave up on all of them."

Judy had heard everything. But she was now lost in a rush of painful memories. Her anger long dissipated as the fox poured his heart out to her. But the mere mention of her near death experience at the hands of a drunk and disorderly fox forced it to replay in her mind. 

It was a simple public disturbance call, some vixen's ex had turned up outside her apartment and was screaming up a storm. Judy and Nick had handled things like this plenty of times, even a few regarding this specific couple. Needless to say Judy had let her guard down by that point. In previous altercations, the fox had never been too much trouble. The worst he seemed to be capable of was an extremely creative use of colorful language. That's why the rabbit simply froze under his sudden lunge toward her face.

Judy inadvertently clutched her throat, gently rubbing her scar as the memory of the searing pain shot through her. She only remembered the shock after the fox was off her, and then the encroaching cold. She could hear Nick talking to her, but despite her eyes being wide open she couldn't see anything. She was certain in that moment that she was going to die, and yet the only thing she could find herself regretting in that moment was the thought that she'd be leaving Nick.

When she came to, she was in the hospital. The rabbit was propped up on a bed, and hooked up to several different machines. The first thing she could remember feeling was the pain in her throat. It felt as though hot lava had been poured down her esophagus. She went to grasp at her neck with a paw, but felt a weight keeping it from rising. Looking over she found the unconscious body of Nick Wilde, snoring loudly as he leaned on her bedside, his paw intertwined with hers. 

The fox looked like he'd been through hell and back. The bags under his eyes were the worst she had seen, and his shirt had a variety of sweat and coffee stains all over it. Judy could barely even sigh with relief, the pain in her throat preventing it from coming out easily. 

She had lived, somehow she had lived. She wasn't going to end up a cautionary tale told by her Mother and Father to the other Hopps children, and most importantly she was still with Nick. It was in that moment she made the conscious decision to tell Nick how she felt about him when the time was right. Life was too short to fear such petty things, especially when something wonderful had a chance of coming out of her confession.

Unfortunately the rabbit would have to wait some time before being able to tell Nick how she felt was even an option. It would take two months of physical therapy to get the rabbit back to speaking comfortably. Her vocal chords were damaged during the attack, but thankfully they weren't severed. She was out of work for a full month, Nick practically chained to her side during the bulk of it. The fox was stoic emotionally, trying not to let his worry show. But Judy could see it in the way he doted over her. She spent her first week out of the hospital at the Hopps family farm, which only compounded the amount unnecessary tending Judy found herself on the receiving end of. 

Aside from needing a dry erase board to speak with, Judy could care for herself. The incident hadn't impaired her ability to do any of a normal mammal's daily routine. But her parents and Nick were insistent on making everything as comfortable as possible for her. It was the first time in a long time she was glad to get away from the Hopps family farm when the week finally came to an end. While it wouldn't stop Nick from doting on her, he was at least easier to handle.

By the time the Stoat Case came to the mammal's desk, she had pretty much gotten her voice back, albeit with the occasional raspy scrape. But she had moved on, aside from the pain of being on the receiving end of the assault the rabbit gave the accident little thought. It hadn't changed her view on mammals or foxes in general, it was simply a risk of the job. But Nick on the other hand had changed. When she finally returned to the ZPD that was the first time she noticed his new fox spray can crammed into his holster. 

She almost felt stupid for not putting it together sooner. It was that accident, that close call with death that caused Nick to carry the spray. He had been so guilty over what had happened that the spray had become a talisman, something to make sure he remembered the accident, and to make sure it didn't happen again. It hadn't been about foxes, it had been about Judy.

"I-I couldn't forgive myself Carrots. I s-should have done something...I-"

"Nick" Judy stopped the fox. Nick turned to face her, and Judy could see his eyes had become glossy. It was clear he was fighting back tears.

"It's not your fault, It's not your species fault. It was an accident." Judy cooed.

"B-but Jude-" Judy placed a claw up to the foxes muzzle to silence him.

"It's just part of the job Nick, any mammal could have done that to me. It just happened to be a fox. But that's not all foxes, that's not you Nick." The rabbit smiled weakly.

"This kind of job can make you hate every mammal because you only get to see the worst of them. But outside of it we have our friends..." The rabbit sighed. "We have each other."

She watched tears begin to pour out of Nicks eyes, clearly unable to hold it anymore.

"And having you with me gave me the strength to pull through Nick, and the strength to keep going and not let what happened affect me." 

"I'm scared Judy....I hate to a-admit it but I'm damn scared." Nick wiped his eyes.

"That moment made everything so clear to me, and now this job has went from helping keep the city safe to protecting you. Every time we go into work I'm worried that you won't be coming home with me that night." The fox shook his head.

"You don't think I know that!?" Judy wrapped her arms around the fox, leaning her head into his chest.

"I've felt the same way since you got shot Nick." Judy smiled. "But we do what we have to do to keep Zootopia safe. It's why we joined the ZPD." Judy's own tears were beginning to flow.

"I didn't join the ZPD for Zootopia's sake you dumb bunny!" Nick laughed through his sobs. "I joined it...for you."

Judy looked up at the fox. Nick was smiling down at her, tears still streaming from his eyes. Judy smiled back, a sob choking out of her throat.

"Dumb fox." She sniffled hard.

"I never want to lose you Judy...I-I-." Nick stammered.

Judy's breath hitched in her throat. There was no way in her wildest dreams that Nick was about to say what she was hoping he would.

"I-"

"Hopps, Wilde, this is Clawhauser." The radio suddenly crackled, causing the two to pull away from each other as if they had been caught necking by their parents.

Judy clumsily grasped at the radio, letting off a few silent curses before bringing the microphone to her mouth. 

"Lieutenant Hopps and Detective Wilde reporting in, what's happening Clawhauser?" She responded, doing her best to hide the warble in her voice from the previous emotional moment.

"Someone reported shots being fired near Cliffside. Local traffic cam caught a wolf and Sheep riding in a sky tram on its way to Cliffside Asylum." The radio crackled in reply.

"Cliffside Asylum, yuck." Nick wiped his eyes. "Not that place again."

"Did anyone confirm it as Dawn and Vernon?" Judy replied.

"Oh um..." Clawhauser muttered. "We're pretty sure over here, but were sending the footage over to you guys. Should be there in a second." The cheetah replied.

Judy turned to her partner, giving the fox a confused look.

"They didn't have any firearms with them right?" She asked.

"Don't think so." Nick replied. 

A ping emanated from their police computer, and with a few quick touches and swipes Judy brought up the video in question. The shot was poorly angled, but she could see the wolf and lamb standing at the edge of the platform, seeming talking to someone.

"It looks like they're talking to someone, but I can't see who. Darn camera!" The rabbit spat.

"Is she holding up your carrot pen Judes?" She heard Nick interject.

The rabbit paused the video, squinting at the screen. The little glimmer of orange was hard to see, but it was indeed her pen. Judy involuntarily felt her back pocket to find it empty, further confirming the identity of the orange speck. 

"I gave it to Vernon to fill out his statement. I guess he held on to it." Judy felt Nick's face brush up next to hers. The two were now inches away from the screen as the rabbit continued playing the video.

The wolf and sheep jumped into the oncoming tram so quickly Judy barely registered it. But what was easy to see was the sparks flying off the exterior as bullets exploded into the side of the cart.

"Someone's after them." Nick stated flatly.

Judy slammed herself back hard into the driver's seat. She grit her teeth as she turned the ignition causing the cruiser to roar to life.

"Then we have to get to Cliffside Asylum before they do!" Judy barked. 

Throwing the clutch into high gear Judy mashed her foot against the gas, and the cruiser took off like a streak toward the lonely and dark structure that loomed in the distance.


	20. Nowhere to Run

Cliffside Asylum is considered the most infamous psychiatric hospital in all of Zootopia's grand history. First established some time at the turn of the century, it was built to contain the city's most unstable and non-functioning mammals under the guise of a rehabilitation center. In truth the place was more of a prison, nestled on the border between The Meadowlands and the Rainforest District's most unpopulated area in an effort to hide it away from the more civilized society. At the time, the doctors of old had a poor grasp of the nature of mental health, and often times their 'treatments' were more tantamount to torture. 

Some time around the late seventies the true depth of what went on there was revealed to the public in a shocking news exposé . Many of those involved with the institution saw the abrupt end of their careers, a few even receiving jail time. But the mammal who suffered the worst from the whistle blowing was Dawn's own Grandfather, Ash Bellwether, who had been acting mayor of the city when the story broke. Amongst the myriad of horrors contained inside the asylum, 'tame collars' were in prominent use when it came to the patients. Mayor Ash Bellwether had long been a proponent of the collars to be made mandatory for all predator citizens, and had gained a great deal of steam behind his agenda. But now, with the true horror of what the collars were capable of in full view of the public, the Mayor's platform had collapsed completely out from under him. Not only was he blamed from hiding the truth about facility from the public, despite the terrible acts going on under several previous Mayors, but support of his initiative vanished over night. While Ash Bellwether didn't see impeachment over the whole affair, it had ruined his reputation and any possibility of his re-election.

In the wake of the scandal, Cliffside Asylum was shut down within a week. Its remaining patients were sent to more modern facilities, where the methods of care-taking had been long since greatly improved. Since that time the structure had remained abandoned, left to rot away along with the shameful memories of the city it conjured.

Dawn shuddered as she stared at the large structure; it’s looming and cold exterior made even more menacing by the stormy clouds brewing above it. It had looked exactly that way in the photographs when Dawn had stumbled across its file during the start of her and Doug’s night howler scheme. With two mammals under the effects of night howler, and with Lionheart growing increasingly desperate to hide it, it had been easy to plant the idea of using the old structure as his base of operations in his mind. Dawn had casually slipped it into the report he demanded on buildings around Zootopia that were overdue for demolition. Dawn knew why the lion really wanted the information, but in order to keep up the appearance of innocence Dawn had to carefully guide the mayor without him being aware of it.   
Luckily for her, she had learned a long time ago just how dumb Lionheart was. She knew the lion would never share such dangerous information with a mammal he saw to be as lowly as Dawn, and so she wasn’t worried about the public thinking she had helped him cover up the cases. Lionheart played into her hooves at every conceivable step, and when he was finally busted the ewe had felt practically giddy at how well her plan had worked. Even now despite how badly the ewe felt about everything, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction after ruining the lion’s career and reputation. She knew it was awful, and terribly petty, but after all the things Lionfart had done it still felt good to picture him working at a fast food joint like she was. The once proud ‘king of the urban jungle’ that is Zootopia reduced to a lowly serf. 

She had chosen Cliffside to lean Lionheart toward due to both its remoteness and reputation, figuring that the place's painful history would only paint a worse picture of her ex-boss when he was discovered. To the public it would appear as if the lion was continuing the horrific un-mammalian legacy that Cliffside Asylum had come to represent, thus adding to the overall outrage and expediting the Mayor’s impeachment. But it seemed that its recent re-occupation had spurred the public to more than just outrage at Lionheart. Dawn could see the grounds were now strewn about with various construction vehicles, some of which had stopped in mid clearing of the surrounding grounds. Near the front path to the decaying structure a large white sign was posted, blocking entry to the building.

“Future site of 'The Cliffside Recreational Park?'” Dawn uttered softly.

She felt a paw on her shoulder, and looked up to find Vernon eyeing the sign as well.

“I can’t believe they’re turning this place into a park. It’s really creepy up here, and I don’t think just tearing down the Asylum is necessarily going to fix that.” Vernon muttered.

Dawn simply nodded, another shudder traveling down her spine as she glanced at the building once more.

“W-We…” She gulped loudly. “We aren’t going in there are we?”

Vernon glanced down at her. There was uneasiness in his eyes as he spoke.

“Um…W-we can probably go around.” 

Dawn nodded briskly at the wolf. “Good idea.”

Dawn watched as Vernon went up to the nearby fence blocking off the entrance. The wolf made his best attempt to peek around the building from where he stood. After a few moments of looking he walked back over to Dawn.

“Looks like there’s a path on the other side of the building, it’ll probably cross us over into the Meadowlands. So we’ll need to hop the fence, but we don’t have to go inside the Asylum.” Vernon said.

“Oh good, let’s get going b-“

A spotlight suddenly fell on the two mammals, causing Dawn to freeze in terror. She couldn’t see the source of the blinding light, but her mind was in full panic mode.

“They’re here already, oh gods, were dead!” She finally yelped, clutching to Vernon’s side. Vernon wrapped his arms around the ewe, growling at whatever was behind the glare.

“Relax Dawn!” A familiar voice rang out. After a moment, a sleek canine silhouette blocked the source of the beam. It stood there for a moment before the light died away, revealing Detective Nick Wilde standing in front of a squad car. Behind him Judy Hopps sat in the Driver’s seat, holding the now powered down spotlight.

“No one’s going to hurt either of you!” Nick Wilde added.

“Lamb sakes!” Dawn nearly started laughing. “I-I’ve never been happier to see the police in my life!” She chirped, releasing the wolf from her grasp.

“You still set on arresting Dawn?” Vernon asked, an irritated tone in his voice. “Because we have evidence that she-“

“Relax Hunter, were taking her in to protect her.” Judy interjected, leaving the vehicle and taking a stance next to Nick. “At the very least we know someone is after you two. That’s enough to cast reasonable doubt on Dawn’s involvement.”

Dawn went to step forward, only to have Vernon place an arm in front of her. She looked to the wolf, who was still eyeing the cops suspiciously.

“This isn’t a trick?” The wolf barked.

“Pupp-“

“No tricks.” Nick added. “Look.” The fox gently removed his tranquilizer gun from his holster. Flicking the barrel open, he revealed the empty chamber to the pair. Judy did the same in turn. “See, they aren’t loaded.”

The wolf still seemed to hesitate, looking back at Dawn nervously.

“Puppy, they can help us.” Dawn pleaded.

“We won’t even use cuffs!” Nick shouted, removing his cuffs from his holster and throwing them on the ground. “C’mon big fella, trust me here.” Nick flashed his trademark grin.

Dawn watched as the wolf’s ears drooped and his arm reluctantly lowered. Instead of simply moving forward, the sheep grabbed Vernon’s paw in her hoof, gripping tightly. Glancing up at the sad looking wolf, the ewe smiled.

“We’ll be okay now Vernon.” She squeezed his paw. “Let’s get out of this dump.”

Vernon smiled weakly in response before the two began to trudge toward the awaiting officers.

“We’ll tell you everything we know so far on the way back.” Judy added. “We think we’ve nearly got this pieced together.”

As the two drew closer, Judy climbed back into the driver’s seat of the squad car. Meanwhile Detective Wilde had moved toward the back of the vehicle, opening the back door for the oncoming mammals. As they arrived, Vernon helped Dawn into the back seat, giving her a slight boost off the ground to scramble onto the cushions. Once the ewe was inside, Vernon did his best to squeeze in. The wolf hunched down in order to pass through the door frame, his legs twisting over each other as he awkwardly positioned himself in the seat next to Dawn. Once Vernon had managed to comfortably seat himself he let out a sigh.

“I guess we should have taken the SUV.” Nick chuckled before slamming the door shut. As the fox made his way around the vehicle, Dawn’s attention turned to the sudden noise coming from the front of the car. The screeching noise was the sound of Judy sliding open the metal divider that separated the front and back of the car. Leaning her head through, the rabbit gave the pair a curious glance.

“You two still have my pen?” Judy asked.

“Oh!” Dawn reached into her breast pocket, retrieving the orange and green recorder from its resting place. She gingerly handed it over to the rabbit, taking great care to avoid hitting any of the buttons by accident.

“Warden Mouflon’s confession is on there, more or less.” Dawn said, clicking her hooves together nervously.

“Alpine Crag’s warden? Nick asked, slumping into the passenger seat. “Isn’t he like one of those pillar of the community types? Awards and accolades and all that?” Nick slammed the passenger door shut.

“Wouldn’t be the first time some mammal we didn’t expect would be the mastermind of an evil scheme.” A sudden look of uneasiness flashed across the rabbits face, a cringing frown appearing on her muzzle. Judy gave Dawn an awkward glance.

“S-sorry Dawn.” The rabbit mumbled.

Dawn chose to ignore the comment, desperate to prattle off everything she had learned about the plan.

“Mouflon’s not in charge.” Dawn stated. “He’s working for Doug I think…or maybe they’re working for someone else….I…” Dawn tapped her hooves again. “I don’t know who.”

“Regardless, Mouflon admitted to last nights Bug Burga attacks, and Don Polaraski’s death.” Vernon chimed in.

Dawn could see Nick take a swig of coffee.

“Welp that helps make sense of some things.” Nick sighed. “Like how Dawn’s home was targeted when no one outside of the prison system should have known where she lived. It would be easy for a Warden to have access to that information.” The fox nodded.

“Did he mention anything about Evard Stoat?” Judy asked, still leaning through the window.

Dawn traded glances with Vernon, the wolf giving her an equally confused shrug.

“No. Why?” Dawn asked.

“We believe that Evard Stoat may have been shipping in night howler in massive quantities for Mouflon’s boss.” Nick turned to peek over Judy’s shoulder at the two mammals. “Were talking massive amounts of howler, scads of it. Definitely way more than what was used at the Bug Burga locations.” Nick’s face was solemn and serious.

“Mouflon did say something about ‘grand plans’ for the city, as soon as tomorrow.” Dawn replied meekly.

Judy turned to face the fox cop.

“We have to find where these guys are hiding fast. Nick, call i-“

A sudden roar made Dawn jump so high she nearly hit the ceiling of the squad car. In a flash the car was filled with a bright and glaring light. As Dawn squinted to see she heard Vernon’s voice yell out.

“THAT BULLDOZER IS O-!”

The next thing Dawn felt was sudden and violent tussle of the car. The backseat was spinning and twirling like a carnival ride. She felt herself slam against the side of the car, then into Vernon. Dawn could hear metal scraping and grinding as the world continued spinning, among scattered voices.

“THE RA-ADIO!” It sounded like Judy.

“D-DAMN!” She was sure it was from Nick.

Suddenly she found herself wrapped in Vernon’s arms, the wolf squeezing her tightly into is chest.

“I-I got y-ya Floofs.” She could barely hear him whisper over the din of the spiraling cab.

With a powerful sharp crash, the car finally seemed to come to a stop. The lights were now aiming away from the interior of the police car, allowing Dawn to finally see what had happened.

The first thing she noticed was that the car was upside down. Glass and tangled metal was strewn about inside the cabs interior, and what used to be the ceiling was now sunken beneath about an inch of jungle mud. Miraculously her glasses had managed to stay on during the sudden accident, and as she struggled to get her bearings she pawed at the lump of fur still embracing her.

“Puppy? PUPPY!?” She yelped. "ARE YOU OKAY!?"

“Urg…” She heard a weak reply. “I-I think so.” The wolf’s grip tightened around her slightly.

“What the h-hell happened?” Dawn muttered, holding her head.

“I think we were run o-“ 

“Nick!”

The wolf was interrupted by Judy’s voice.

“Judy?” Dawn shouted.

“Dawn!?” Judy replied, letting out a ragged cough. “Are you two okay?”

“Yes, we’re alright.” Vernon replied.

“Ouff…” Dawn recognized the fox’s croaking. “Somebody get the number of that truck?” Nick chuckled weakly.

“NICK!” Dawn heard Judy shout. Through what remained of the open partition between the seats, Dawn could see the rabbit jump onto the fox.

“OH NICK! THANK THE GODS!” The rabbit shouted.

“Ahh…Ahh!” The fox yelped. “Easy Carrots, I’m still sore.”

Suddenly the car lurched forward, causing Dawn and Vernon smash up against the separator window. As the momentum subsided, the two sloshed back to where they were. Dawn could feel the car dragging further across the earth below, metal squealing as it scraped along.

“DAMNIT!” She heard from somewhere in the front.

Dawn twisted her head around to try to see what was still attacking the car, but as she brought her gaze back to the where the rear window had been the ewe found that all she could see was a blurry mess. Reaching a hoof up to her face, she felt around wildly for any hint of her glasses.

“PUPPY! MY GLASSES!” She yelped, now trying to feel around on the floor for them.

“OH NO!” She heard another voice from the front, it sounded like Judy’s.

Dawn suddenly felt the car begin to tilt. Metal groaned and moaned as the incline in the back seat became steeper. At that point the ewe gave up on finding her specs, instead wrapping herself tightly around the wolf’s arm.

“VERNON! WHAT’S HAPPENING?” She felt the wolf attempting to shift the pair further back in the vehicle.

“I DON’T KNOW!” She heard him reply.

The incline grew steeper, and Dawn began to feel gravity shift toward the front of the battered vehicle. As the tilt increased, a loud roaring sound began to manifest itself, like a howling maelstrom. 

“WHAT IS THAT!?” Dawn shouted.

“THE FALLS! RUT ME, THE FALLS!” Nicks voice rang out from the front seat.

Dawn’s stomach dropped as the words registered in her mind. They were about to go over the falls. It was clear whatever hit them was on purpose, most likely Mouflon had caught up to them. Now they were going to be dashed to pieces at the bottom of Cliffside’s massive waterfall system. Dawn was sure she was going to die. Flickers of her life were flashing before her as her brain went into overdrive. But of all the memories and thoughts hitting her at once, the ones that lingered were the ones of Vernon and her feelings for him. She only had seconds left to live, and with that in mind it spurred her to speak up. To say the words she longed to say before it was too late.

“VERNON!” She yelled.

She heard the wolf grunting, still trying to hold them as far away from the bottom of the car as possible.

“Y-YEAH!?” Vernon sputtered.

“IF W-WE DON’T MAKE IT THROUGH THIS-” She struggled to speak as the squad car shook again.

“WE’LL MAKE IT!” The wolf snapped.

“IF WE D-DON’T” She continued, squeezing the wolf tighter. 

“I NEED TO TELL YOU T-THAT-“

“NOT AGAIN!” She heard Nick yelp.

Suddenly Dawn felt herself become weightless. The world around her had fallen silent and as far as she could tell time had slowed to a crawl. She couldn’t see anything, but could just make out flickers of fading light as the vehicle tumbled end over end. They were in freefall now, plummeting into the darkness below the cliff. Dawn tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come, and even her breath remained hitched in her throat. Her last thoughts were of regret for being able to finish confessing to Vernon before she felt herself enveloped by the icy cold waters of the river below.


	21. The Last Mile

“Breathe! Breathe!” a dull voice echoed in the darkness.

Dawn felt a sudden pressure on her chest, before feeling a rush of air enter her lungs. The tingle of the air sent a jolt through her. Her eyes flying open in shock before her brain registered the burning sensation in her chest. Pushing the grey blurry shape looming over her out of the way, the ewe shot straight up emitting several horrible hacking coughs. She could feel the stinging as water sprayed out of her throat, the impulse to retch now fighting it out with the desperate need to inhale.

“Dawn! You’re alright!” The voice cried.

As the last of the water made its way out of her lungs, the fog of unconscious began to lift from her mind. She didn’t know where she was, all she could make out was a sea of blurry greens and blues. Placing her shaky hooves to her face, the ewe began to feel around for her glasses. 

“What’s wrong?”

Dawn turned to stare at the grey blur that was sitting next to her. Now awake and alert, the voice was instantly recognizable.

“Judy?” Dawn let out another cough.

“Yes Dawn, it’s me.” Judy‘s voice was low.

For a moment the ewe was confused by the rabbit’s presence. Why was Judy there? It only took her a moment for the rest of the memories to come flooding back to the ewe. Getting into the squad car, the bright lights, the spinning, going over the falls, Vernon. Dawn froze at the thought of the wolf.

“Vernon.” She mumbled.

“VERNON!” She jumped to her feet, only to feel the rabbit wrap her arms around her and pull her back low to the ground.

“Shh!” Judy hissed.

“Where’s Vernon!?” Dawn pleaded.

“I don’t know.” The rabbit whispered. “I can’t find Nick either.” Judy’s voice was stern.

“Oh gods.” Dawn immediately thought the worst. She could feel the tears welling to the surface as the thought of the Vernon. A new burning, wrenching pain in her chest overshadowing the previous one as she thought of the wolf meeting his demise.

“Shh!” The rabbit responded. “I don’t think were alone down here Dawn. We have to keep quiet!” Judy whispered.

Dawn did her best to stifle her tears. But the most she could do was keep it down to a low whimper. This was her ultimate punishment she began to reason. She had found a mammal she truly loved, the one she would want to be with for the rest of her life only to lose him because of her past sins. She had been wrong about the freezer; it was this that was truly the perfect end cap to the Bellwether legacy. The ewe had been spared so that she could suffer the rest of her days without the mammal she loved, without ever telling him how she felt.

“We have to sneak out of here, okay?” Judy said quietly.

“B-But I can’t s-see.” Dawn sniffled.

“It’s okay, grab my paw…” Judy replied.

Dawn saw a paw outstretch from the blurry blob of a rabbit, and grabbed it with a trembling hoof. Judy lifted her until they were both in a crouched position.

“W-what about N-Nick and V-“

“I’m sure they’re okay.” Judy mumbled. “Nick will lead him out of here and we’ll find each other, I’m sure of it.” Judy’s words were firm, but the ewe could hear her voice falter slightly. It was clear even Judy wasn’t entirely sure of the fate of the mammals.

Dawn reluctantly followed as she felt Judy tug her along, the world still a swirling blur of colors as they moved. Dawn silently cursed never having invested in contact lenses. The rabbit was slowly creeping along, trying to make her steps as quiet as possible. After a few feet, the blur that was Judy stopped the ewe, pressing the two of them against a nearby tree.

"What!?" Dawn hissed.

The rabbit was silent for a moment, Dawn could see what appeared to be her head disappear around the trunk edge.

"I don't see them along the bank." Judy muttered.  
"Who, Vernon or-?"

"Neither Nick, Vernon, or the perps." Judy replied. " I can still see the edge of the cruiser sticking out of the river bottom."

"Are they in there?" Dawn whispered, her voice trembling.

Judy turned back to Dawn, getting her face close enough for Dawn to be able to make out the basic expressions of worry.

"I was thrown out of the car on the way down." Judy sighed. "When I swam back into it Nick was gone."

"What about Vernon?" Dawn asked, tapping her hooves together nervously.

"He was balled around you in the back seat." Judy sounded uneasy. "You were both out cold, and I could only take you one at a time."

"Y-you don't mean." Dawn felt a fresh rise of hot tears well up to the surface.

"No, no shh!" The rabbit placed a finger to Dawn's lips.

"Once I had you on the bank I went back for him, but he was gone." The rabbit seemed to nod briskly. "They both have to be alive Dawn."

The tears continued to stream, but Dawn felt a great deal of weight lift off of her. She smiled weakly, stifling a choking sob.

"Vernon's alive?" She whispered.

"Yeah, but I'm just worried that we aren't the only one looking for them..." Judy's head dipped. "Or that they've already been found."

"BELLWETHER!" With the sudden shout, the rabbits arm slammed the ewe back against the tree hard. She nearly let out a painful gasp only to find Judy's paw covering her mouth. The rabbit was also tight against the tree trunk, trying to keep the pair from being seen by the unknown assailant.

"WE KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE BELLWETHER!" The voice bellowed. "AND THE RABBIT!"

Dawn looked at Judy in terror. She could see the rabbit's eyes were open wide, and could feel Judy's heartbeat thumping hard through her arm that was so tightly clasped against her.

"What do we do?" Dawn whispered.

"Stay quiet." Judy said. "We need to keep him talking, that way we can figure out where he is and head far away from there. Got it?" The rabbit's face was in Dawn's again, eyes searching for an affirmation.

"B-but" Dawn uttered.

"DAWN BELLWETHER!" The voice cried out again.

"Trust me, we need to wait for back-up." Judy's tone was sharp and serious. "We can't confront them without help. I'm sure Vernon and Nick are hiding too." 

Dawn nodded reluctantly.

"DAWWWNIE BELLWETHER!" The voice was chiding now. "DAWNIE, DAWNIE, DAWN BELLWETHER!" It continued.

Dawn could feel her own heart beating hard and fast. The voice almost sounded like it was coming from all sides, and she was filled with the deep desire to turn tail and run for the hills. She wondered if this was what the prey mammals of old felt like when the were being stalked by an apex predator. Unable to move, brain paralyzed with a myriad of conflicting thoughts.

"FINE!" The voice bellowed "I CAN SEE YOU DON'T WANT TO COME ALONG THE EASY WAY."

"SO HOW BOUT WE RAISE THE STAKES A BIT DAWNIE!" The voice let out a chuckle. "I"M SURE YOUR LITTLE RABBIT FRIEND WILL WANT TO HEAR THIS ONE TOO!"

Dawn glanced at Judy. From what she could see the rabbit's face was still stern and serious, but the thumping felt through her arm continued to rise in tempo.

"SEE WE GOT YOUR LITTLE PETS HERE!" The voice called out.

Dawn felt her stomach turn, inadvertently grabbing Judy's arm tightly in response. Staring directly into the rabbits eyes, the ewe shook as she tried to speak.

"T-they, Th-hey, T-T-they." Dawn stuttered.

"I heard him." Judy remained cool.

"BOTH OF 'EM LOOK LIKE HELL, OF COURSE MOST PREDS LOOK LIKE TRASH TO ME."

Dawn's eyes were pleading, begging Judy to do something. The rabbit cursed under her breath.

"YOU'RE BLUFFING!" Judy suddenly spat, shocking the ewe.

The jungle fell silent, save for the thundering sound of the nearby falls. Dawn clutched Judy's arm tighter as she prayed the rabbit's intuition was right. After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to make out the sound of a scuffle before they received an answer.

"SAY SOMETHIN' BOY!" The voice hissed.

There was another brief silence, before the sound of a harsh crack echoed through the wood.

"I SAID TALK!" 

"DAWN!"

The ewe froze. It was Vernon's voice, there was no doubt about it. She tried to speak, but her heart had risen into her throat.

"I-I'M SORRY I-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU." The voice snarled.

There was another slight scuffling noise.

"AND JUST SO OFFICER BUN-BUN DOESN'T FEEL LEFT OUT...SAY SOMETHING SHIFTY!" The voice roared.

"CARROTS, WE'RE FINE! DON'T DO ANYTHI-"

Another crack whipped across the moist jungle air. But Dawn had barely registered it, as it had been deafened by Judy's own heartbeat. She felt the rabbit's entire body tense as soon as she had heard the fox.

"YOU AREN'T IN THE POSITION TO BE ISSUING ORDERS RED!" The voice spat.

The scene fell silent again, save for another brief scuffle.

"NOW I'M SURE YOU ARE BOTH TRYING TO WAIT OUT THE ZPD..." The voice continued. "BUT I'M AFRAID WE CAN'T ALLOW THEM TO SPOIL OUR LITTLE PARTY, SO YOU GALS DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO MAKE A CALL HERE."

"WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING!?" Judy yelled, her voice faltering slightly.

"OH NO, NO, I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE PLANNING FOR LATER!" The voice teased. "BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE PLANNING RIGHT NOW!"

A sudden dull shot echoed across the jungle, causing the ewe to jump. It had sounded like gunfire, but not quite right. It was a lighter, more wispy sound.

"IF YOU GALS DON'T COME OUT, WE'LL SHOOT UP THESE FELLAS WITH SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED NIGHT HOWLER!" The voice bellowed.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" The rabbit hissed under her breath. Dawn felt as if she were going to faint. Her knees buckled and she slid down the tree trunk only to have the rabbit yank her back up.

"WE FIGURE WE'LL LET 'EM GO AT IT FOR A WHILE. SEE WHO WINS!" The voice continued to mock.

"SEE THE BOYS THINK THE BIG GUY OVER HERE RIP THAT FOX TO BITS REAL EASY, BUT I THINK THE RED LOOKS PRETTY SCRAPPY! I THINK HE'S GOT A REAL SHOT!" The voice let out a cackle.

Dawn looked at Judy with tears in her eyes. They had to do something, anything to save them. 

"J-Judy..." Dawn whimpered.

"YOU BASTARDS!" The rabbit spat. "YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Her voice was filled with bile.

Dawn desperately clutched at Judy, trying to stop her from further agitating the rams.

"NOW MISS HOPPS, YOU KNOW WE WOULD. YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED AT THOSE BUG BURGAS. FAR AS I'M CONCERNED TWO MORE PREDS OFF THE STREET IS PRACTICALLY COMMUNITY SERVICE!" The voice let out another cackle.

"JUDY!" Dawn yelped. "PLEASE!"

She could hear the rabbit let out a sigh, her ears drooping as she leaned her head against the tree and stared up at the sky.

"Damn..." She whispered.

Dawn felt the rabbit tug her forward, bringing them both out into the open. Judy raised Dawn's hoof into the air, and Dawn proceeded to raise her other arm in surrender. She couldn't fully make out the rams, but she could see the large blur that made up their group. 

"There, now was that so hard?" The ram laughed.

"Warden Wooligan?" Judy hissed. "What, are all of Zootopia's wardens in on this?" 

"Not necessarily wardens, but we are working with a lot of mammal's in high places." Wooligan responded.

Dawn could see blurry forms approach the pair, and soon she felt her hooves being clasped behind her back by force. The ram began to push her toward Wooligan's group. Dawn turned to look at Judy, who was being pushed along side her. Her ears were sagging as the trudged along.

"DAWN! I"

Wooligan seemed to move quickly, and with a crack the shape on the ground slumped over as the ram made contact with it. The yelp of pain was instantly recognizable as Vernon's. Dawn struggled against her restraints and gritted her teeth at the sound of his pain.

"DON'T HURT HIM!" She yelped.

Wooligan's form became clear as it marched up to her. He reached up and clasped her muzzle with his hoof, squeezing it harshly.

"Wow Dawn, were you rehabilitated or brainwashed?" The warden cackled. "Sympathy for a lowly mutt. Maybe you aren't salvageable." Wooligan sneered.

"Just don't..." She wept. "Take me instead." She began to sob. "L-let them go and t-take me. That's w-who you want."

The ram released her face harshly, pushing her away as he broke his grasp.

"Get them in the truck." He sneered.

Dawn struggled as the ram began to drag her away. She could see the other shapes moving as well, Woolgian's form in particular picking up the grey mass she had identified as Vernon. 

"LET THEM GO! LET THEM G-" She felt her body jerk backward as the ram threw her into a dark container, knocking the air out of her as she hit the floor of the truck bed. As she lay trying to catch her breath, she could hear others being pushed into the same dark space around her.

"THE ZPD WILL BE LOOKING FOR U-!"

The room went black as Dawn heard the doors slam shut. 

"DAWN!?"

The voice of Vernon rang out in the dark chamber, spurring the lamb to her feet. She desperately pawed at the dark around her.

"VERNON!" She cried. "VERNON, WHERE ARE YOU!? I CAN'T SEE!"

Suddenly the wolf came into full view, along with Judy and Nick who were busy pounding on the sealed off doors behind the wolf. Dawn quickly felt her face to confirm that her glasses were back, however her left lens featured a massive spider crack that traveled across the frame. 

"I found them when I was trying to find you. I came to in the backseat and you were gone." The wolf whimpered.

It was dark, but now that Dawn had her glasses she could see enough. Looking up she could see the extent of Wooligan's handy work marked by the swollen black eye the wolf was now sporting, but he was still here, still alive. Dawn smiled broadly through her tears.

"OH PUPPY!" Dawn couldn't stop herself from jumping into the wolf's arms, clasping herself tightly around his midsection. She felt the wolf's own paws wrap around her, squeezing almost unbearably tight. As the wolf continued to squeeze, she gently brought a hoof up to the wolf's eye.

"That Dagmuncher." She growled, gently caressing his swollen brow. "I'm so sorry he did that to you." The ewe cooed.

"Ain't my first one..." The wolf muttered. "Although between your slap earlier and that ram's punches I'm starting to learn just how hard hooves are. Felt like getting belted with a mallet." He chuckled through tears of his own.

Dawn felt a sudden jerk travel through the pair as the vehicle started to move. As it eased into a steady motion, the cops seemed to give up on rapping against the door. Nick placed his paw over his face, looking up at the ceiling as he groaned.

"Well, now we know how Doug escaped Outback Island." Nick leaned against the doors, slowly sliding down to the floor. 

"Yeah, Wooligan the willing hostage with the keys to the castle. Who knows how long he's had free reign over at the prison." Judy sighed.

Vernon sat down on the floor of the cab, gingerly lowering the ewe next to him. 

"They leave any of your gear Judes?" Nick turned to the rabbit.

"Stripped it all, took my belt with them." The rabbit joined the group on the floor, letting out a defeated sigh.

"Damn." Nick growled. "I figured as much."

"So Red." Vernon coughed awkwardly. "Do you guys know what they are planning? Or are you as lost as we are?" Vernon glanced at Dawn, to which the ewe shrugged in response.

The foxed stretched one of his legs and let out a groan.

"Welp Puppy, it's like this." The fox scratched his chin. "We told you about Stoat shipping in Night Howler right?"

Dawn nodded briskly.

"Well this was about two years ago when it started up." The fox sighed. "From what I found out about Stoat, he was a farmer in Howlingrad. At the time I didn't think about it, but when Night Howler came into the picture it all made sense."

"Y'see Stoat was also a notorious counterfeiter, and someone in Zootopia touched base with him with interest in his services. They offered to pay him real money in exchange for his crop and a supply of false cash. Real Zbucks are worth way more over there."

"These crops he was growing, you m-mean to say-" Dawn stuttered, unable to finish the sentence. Nick nodded slowly.

"Yep, Night Howler." The fox rubbed near his bruised eye. "Now that I know two prison wardens were involved, it stands to wager that they swapped the Zbucks that were received from City Hall and the Zootopian taxpayers for prison purposes with the fakes. That explains why we couldn't find a source, we weren't looking high enough."

"They covered their tracks pretty well." Judy added. "They used a fake company name called AD Labs, and only communicated through Stoat. Doug's men were also the only ones to handle the shipments. As far as we can tell even the ship crews didn't know what they were carrying in."

"We're not sure where they've been storing it. But now with the knowledge that Doug has had free reign on Outback Island, it could be there. At the very least based on Stoats demise I can wager he had a working lab there." Nick grumbled.

"But where Dawn fits in at this point I'm at a loss." The fox shrugged. "I only know a ram was the one who burned down her apartment, thanks to Carrots." The fox nodded to his partner.

"It's Doug." Dawn piped up. "We-um..." She ewe looked down, her past relationship with Doug filling her with embarrassment. "We were intimate in college." She mumbled.

She felt Vernon's arm gently curl around her shoulder. Gazing up at the wolf, he hadn't even looked at her. The action seemingly involuntary in response to her confession.

"From what Mouflon said, the fire, the Bug Burga attack, even Don was all some sort of maligned attempt to get me to join him." The ewe shuddered.

"The fire I get." The fox muttered. " A scare tactic to make you think the city is out to get you. Who else would you turn to?" Nick chuckled weakly. "But more than one Bug Burga was attacked. Why even waste time hitting the other three if it was just to get to you."

"Vernon!" Judy suddenly interjected. "They wanted to get the wolf right?" Judy asked the ewe.

"Yes!" Dawn stated. "Mouflon said something about removing my emotional supports!" Dawn leaned over to hug the wolf lightly. She felt Vernon tousle the poof of wool in response. " It's one of the reasons why they killed Don too." 

"What was the other reason?" Nick asked.

"The ram said Don was hiding where Dawn was living from him, even when they were torturing him he refused to tell." Vernon replied.

"Of course!" Judy hopped up. slamming her fist into her palm. "That's why they had to go after you two at work. They couldn't get you at home!" 

"That still doesn't explain why they attacked the other locations, or why they are targeting predator and prey. Not to mention they've been trying to kill Dawn since the Bug Burga attack." Nick shook his head.

"Mouflon said he was going against Doug's orders. That Dawn was too much trouble, and was compromising everything they were planning." Vernon said.

"I guess we should be thankful that Wooligan is following orders, at least so far." Nick chuckled.

"Maybe they were trying to cover up directly targeting Dawn." Judy mused. "If they had successfully killed or captured her, the city would have been quick to blame her for everything." Judy was pacing back and forth. "If they had brought Dawn alive, Doug would have been able to use the city's response as more fuel for the fire."

"Okay but that still leaves us with one burning question Carrots." The fox glanced over at the pacing rabbit.

"What are they planning to do with all that Night Howler?" Judy shot back. The fox simply nodded.

Judy paced for a few more moments, her speed decreasing rapidly before finally coming to a stop. Her ears drooped as she turned back to the group. 

"I-" She stuttered. "I don't know." The rabbit turned to face the sealed van doors again. "But whatever it is, it's going to be bad for the whole city."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, each of the mammals heads had drooped in response to Judy's dire revelation.

"I suppose..." Vernon muttered. "We'll find out when we get there..." Dawn could see the worry in the wolfs eyes as he glanced at her. She simply leaned into his side in response, trying not to think of the looming danger that awaited them.

The group remained quiet for some time after that, leaving only the droning of tires to fill the vacuum left by the now silent mammals. Nick had tilted his head back toward the ceiling of the car, staring blankly at the dim slit of fading light at the top of the sealed doors. He felt so stupid, so damn stupid for not calling in picking up the duo as soon as they got them in the squad car. He knew it would cost the ZPD precious time in locating the mammals, time he was starting to fear they might not have. But the worst thing was getting caught off guard by those rams. 

"I'm sorry Judes..." The fox broke the silence.

"Nick?" Judy responded. The fox continued to stare at the roof.

"I got us caught." He sighed. "When I found Vernon instead of hiding we went looking for you two right away." The fox wrapped his arms around his legs, pulling them into himself.

"I should have known-"

Nick felt a soft punch hit him in the arm. He quickly turned to find Judy flashing him a half smile.

"Oh stop that." Judy chided. Nick rolled his eyes.

"It was a rookie mistake Carrots. I-" He looked back down at his lap. "I let emotion get in the way of the job." He gave a soft chuckle. "Funny huh?"

"Pfft..." Judy laughed. "It's not like I haven't done the same for you Nick Wilde. That's what partners do."

Judy placed a paw on Nick's own, bringing the foxes attention back to the small rabbit. "That's what friends do." She smiled.

Nick returned the smile before turning back to face the rest of the group. He could see that Dawn was still leaning against Vernon, his paw wrapped around her. She was shivering slightly, and the wolf was rubbing her arm to keep her warm. Nick glanced up at the large wolf.

"Hey, Vernon." Nick asked.

"Yeah?" The wolf muttered.

"I uh-" The fox gave an awkward cough. "I'm not trying to offend you or anything. But I have to know." The fox glanced back down at the small ewe.

"What is with you two?" Nick watched the wolf's face scrunch up in confusion. Nick placed his arms up defensively.

"I mean, how did you both end up friends? Really?" The fox eyed him curiously.

Nick saw the wolf let out a heavy sigh, glancing back at the sheep before smiling.

"We were friends when we were kids." He replied.

"You're kidding!" Judy interjected.

"I-It's true." Dawn shuddered. Clearly still feeling the growing chill in the air. "We only knew each other for a little while though..."

The ewe looked down, another chill seeming to travel through her. "B-but my Dad broke it up. Said it wasn't natural."

Nick looked over at Judy. The rabbit was now leaning toward the wolf and lamb, seemingly just as curious as the fox was about the nature of their relationship.

"And what, you two just ran into each other again?" The rabbit queried.

"I just happened to be working at the Bug Burga she got hired on. I didn't even recognize her at first. But after we figured it out it just kinda picked right back up you know?" The wolf replied. "It's like we didn't miss a day."

"Hah." Nick laughed. "It was kinda like that for me and Carrots over there." The fox pointed a claw at his partner. "I mean granted we didn't know each other as kits, but hanging around Judes was just like hanging with an old friend..." The fox smiled. "I mean, when she wasn't blackmailing me."

He watched the rabbits ears perk up, and she turned to give him an annoyed glance.

"It wasn't blackmail!" the rabbit sputtered. She turned to the wolf and ewe, giving them a pleading gesture. "He was a criminal!"

Vernon raised his paws defensively. "Woah, okay." The wolf looked down at the ewe in confusion. "Should I even ask?"

The lamb just shook her head. "Trust me, it's complicated."

Nick couldn't help but let out a laugh in response.

"Hoo boy, yeah it was a real mess. But It was worth it in the end." His grin faltered as the words left his lips. The end, was this really it for them? The car had fallen silent again, and the fox found himself gripping his arms as he began to feel the chill.

"Anyone else getting colder?" Nick asked, clenching his teeth.

"Y-yeah" The ewe replied. "I t-thought it was j-just because my cl-lothes were still drying but it's definitely getting c-colder."

Nick felt Judy lean into him, snuggling up against him aggressively. 

"Where are they taking us!?" The rabbit huffed.

Nick draped a paw around the rabbit, taking a page from Vernon and rubbing her arm. "Well let's see, biting cold?" The fox mused. "I'd guess Tundratown."

"As for the why, who knows?" Nick shrugged his shoulders.

The car gave a sudden jerk before coming to a stop, causing the fox to bang his head on the nearby door. He let out a hiss as he rubbed the back of his head.

"OH V-VERNON!" Nick could hear the lamb cry. Turning his attention back to the pair, he could see Dawn was now grasping at the wolf in desperation. The little ewe trembled as she buried herself in the wolf's side. Vernon simply rubbed her back in response.

"We'll be alright Dawn!" The wolf cooed. " We'll make it out of here somehow..." The wolf stared at Nick, a pleading desperation in his eyes. "I promise." 

Suddenly Nick felt himself being jerked by the collar, dragged out into the cold evening air. He could hear Dawn screaming as he was restrained and forcibly stood up. It was Tundratown alright, he could see it now. The ice flows of the nearby bay told him it was far north, where even the normally winter suited mammals became scarce.

"GET MOVING FOX!" The voice from behind him shouted, giving Nick a hard shove to the back of the head. The fox stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground. However, the ram holding his paws kept him from fully falling over. Looking ahead of him he could see the looming structure against the fading sun of the frozen District. It was a factory, long abandoned and left to be buried in the endless snowstorms of Tundratown. It's sign nearly illegible, eaten away by the biting winds.

"Woolery Wine Bottling Plant." The fox muttered. He thought back to the shards of glass found at Dawns apartment fire, and felt a small laugh escape his throat. "Maybe we could have traced the bottle after all." He chuckled. " Making a Molotov with a bottle from a wine company that's been shut down for decades kind of narrows down the suspects hey fellas?' Nick's continued to laugh, almost mockingly now. " How lazy can you boys be? It's like you wanted to get caught!"

Nick winced as a hard whap came down against his scalp.

"SHUT IT SMART MOUTH!" the ram behind him sneered.

With another shove Nick was moving again, shuffling through the snow toward the dilapidated and ice encrusted doors. As they approached, two other rams darted ahead of the group, opening the doors for the oncoming prisoners. As Nick passed through the gate he was bathed in a deep blue iridescent light. It was almost painfully bright, but as the fox's eyes rapidly adjusted it became easy to trace the source. As the fox looked up he could see several large and transparent glass vats, all churning with what he could only assume was night howler. It was clear that the bottling plant was chosen for more than just the distant location.

"Sweet cheese and crackers..." The fox heard from somewhere behind him.

The fox felt the ram give him another strong push, sending him deeper into the factory. He watched even more vats pass him by, the eerie blue-ish glow sending a shiver down his spine. Nick wagered it must have been fairly easy to refurbish the vats into night howler storage containers, and probably allowed whoever was in charge to keep construction costs and suspicion to a minimum. With a few minor adjustments, the large vats could easily contain highly pressurized liquid. But as for the method of delivery, Nick was puzzled. Surely they couldn't use the amount of pellets this much night howler could produce. As the group continued their trudge across the factory, Nick could see a variety of large gas tankers parked in the loading area, plastered with the business logos of several large gas companies from across the Districts.

"Oh gods." He heard Carrots pipe up again. "Nick! They're gonna detonate these trucks all over Zootopia!"

Nick heard Judy yelp under the sound of a particularly loud whack.

"SHUT IT FLOPPY!" Another ram snarled.

Nick bared his teeth and growled, trying to glare at the ram behind him.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" Nick snarled.

"Ironic coming from a predator." The ram growled back. "Now KEEP MOVING!"

Nick fell to his knees under the force of the rams push, before being yanked back up by the ram. With another push he was headed forward again. Ahead he could see a separated observation room, it's outer doors and windows seemingly reinforced. Across from that appeared to be a platform with a small control panel. On the other side of the platform sat one of the gas trucks, parked underneath a large crane like injector. It seemed to be modified from the original bottle filling nozzle that must have existed before the plant was taken over. The rubber nozzle was ribbed, seemingly allowing it to expand and contract. As the fox's gaze lingered on the strange platform, the ram behind him pushed his head forward, forcing him to face the observation room again. By now, the rams had opened the reinforced door, and his captor was guiding him inside.

Once inside, Nick was thrust into the nearest chair. The ram held him down as he began to tie his paws behind the back of the seat. Now facing the oncoming group he could finally see the others again. Judy's face was twisted in a silent hatred for the rams around her. He watched her until she was pushed behind him, out of the fox's line of sight.

Next came Vernon, who had simply fallen silent. The wolf looked defeated, unsure of what was going to happen. When he caught Nick's gaze, the wolf seemed to try to feign a look of resolve. But it was clear to Nick it was all an act.  
Vernon was seated next to him, to rams doing their best to restrain the large canid. He could hear him let out a sigh as he faced the floor.

Finally Dawn entered, Wooligan restraining her. The wolf next to him suddenly came back to life as Dawn's whimpers began to fill the room.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" The wolf snarled.

Wooligan simply chuckled, leading the lamb out of Nick's line of sight. From what he could tell, she was being tied to the chair behind the large wolf.

"Pfft...that's the last thing we intend on doing mutt." The voice grumbled. "You three on the other hoof..." Wooligan lingered.

"Well, when Doug and the boss get here, they'll decide." Wooligan chuckled.

Nick watched as one of the rams dumped Judy and his belts on a nearby table, his fox spray spilling out of its holster as it hit the desk hard. Nick grumbled under his breath. Out of all the weapons on those belts the duo had, that was probably the only thing that still worked after their little unscheduled dip. All he had to do is figure out a way to get it, and what he could do with it from there.

"In the meantime, my boys here will be keeping an eye on you, making sure you don't wiggle out of those ropes anytime soon." Wooligan began to walk toward the exit door.

"What are you going to do Wooligan!? What is this all for!?" Nick heard Judy yell, her voice laced with pure hatred.

The ram turned back, giving the group an evil smirk. "You'll find out soon enough."

And with that, the ram left the chamber, slamming the door behind him.


	22. A Game of Betrayal

Vernon felt a yawn coming on, but as one of the ram guards eyes fell on him he did his best to stifle it. The group of mammals had been sitting strapped to chairs for hours now, at least as far as he could figure. The setting sun shining through the fogged windows facing outside the office had long since faded, giving way to the icy cold of the Tundratown night. During that time the group had mostly remained silent. They had learned rather quickly that the henchrams wouldn't tolerate any talking whatsoever, particularly Nick who had been on the receiving end of several beltings for talking out of turn. The only time they had managed to have any sort of conversation was when the rams traded shifts, which Vernon mostly used to check on Dawn. During one of those periods Judy let the group know that she was working through her bindings, and was simply waiting for the right time to strike. But for now the group had fallen back into silence, waiting for whatever was coming with increasing dread. 

Vernon, despite his brave face, could feel tension wracking every fiber of his being. The thought of the unknowable fate that awaited the four had lodged his heart up into his throat. With everything that had happened so far, Vernon never really gave full consideration to dying. But now that it looked as though soon enough he may very well be meeting his end, the wolf felt filled with regret. The thought of never saying goodbye to his parents, his siblings, his friends. The pain his death might cause. All of it was weighing heavy on his mind. But the regret that burned the strongest was not being honest with Dawn, not being able to tell her how he felt. 

Vernon's ears perked up as he heard hoof steps. Looking up he could see the rams who had been watching them making their way over to the door. 

"Another shift change." The wolf thought to himself. "Maybe...maybe I still have a shot."

As the rams slammed the door behind them, Vernon was the first to speak.

"Dawn, you still awake?" He whispered.

"Yes Vernon, of course I am." The ewe replied in a dull tone.

"Before..." The wolf swallowed hard at the thought of the end that loomed above them all." Before whatever happens to u-us happens. I need to tell you something."

"Puppy..." The voice was laced with concern. Vernon could feel one of Dawn's hooves trying to clutch his paw, and in response the wolf managed to wrap one of his fingers around hers. It was the best they could do considering the restraints.

"I-..." Vernon looked down at the floor. "I-"

"DAWN!" Vernon's head shot up to the sheep now standing in the door. He was a new one, unfamiliar to the wolf. The sheep scurried around Vernon, over to the ewe behind him as more rams filed in.

"DAWN! IT'S YOU!" The sheep yelped.

Vernon felt Dawns chair shake violently against his own.

"DON'T TOUCH ME DOUG! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE!" Dawn snarled.

"Hey, hey Dawn. C'mon babe." The sheep replied nervously.

"BABE!? THIS ISN'T COLLEGE DOUG! WE'RE NOT TOGETHER ANYMORE!" The ewe spat.

"Alright, easy Dawn, easy. You want to keep this professional we can do that." 

"PROFESSIONAL!?" Vernon could feel the ewe’s chair rattle again. "YOU KINDAPPED US! TIED US UP! YOU CALL THAT PROFESSIONAL!?" She snarled.

"HEY! I SAVED YOU!" The sheep yelled back.

"FROM WHAT!?" Dawn replied.

"THE CITY DAWN!" Doug replied. "Zootopia wants your blood Dawn. You can't tell me the name of a single mammal aside from me who would treat you like you deserve to be treated!"

Vernon felt the ewe's stray finger find his again, bringing a small smirk to his muzzle.

"I was fine out there Doug." Dawn replied. "I didn't need any help, especially from you!" Dawn's finger squeezed Vernon's tightly.

"In fact I was turning my life around." She continued. "The only mammal that was dragging me back down was you and your pathetic little plan to win me back!" She snarled.

"Wh-what are you-?"

"The fire Doug!" She spat. "The fire, killing Don, trying to hurt Vernon. It was all you trying to win me over. I know it all already." 

The room fell silent. Vernon tried to angle his head in a way that would allow him to see Doug's reaction to being caught red hooved, but could barely make out the edge of the sheep from the corner of his eye. 

"Mouflon." He heard Doug grumble in annoyance.

"That's right Doug, so don't make it out like this was some grand sweeping gesture to save me from injustice. The only mammal making me suffer was you!" Dawn growled.

"So what if I planned it!" The ram fired back, pacing into Vernon's line of sight again. He could tell Doug was nervous, sweat already beginning to from on the sheep's brow.

"I was trying to help you see Dawn!" the sheep held his hooves out. "Things like what I did would have happened to you eventually. You can't tell me you really thought you would change Zootopia's opinion of you? That you'd really be able to move on and live a normal life!"

"I was!" the ewe replied.

"Bullshit!" Doug turned back toward the ewe, leaving Vernon's sight line.

"I-"

"Bullshit Dawn!" He spat. "You and I both know better. Zootopia was never going to welcome you back with open arms. Eventually they would find a way to put you back behind bars." Vernon could feel Dawn's chair begin to tremble. "And they were going to weren't they? As soon as they found you after what happened at Bug Burga, they were ready to lock you up again."

"It's-"

"Face it Dawn, there's no way you can ever lead a normal life again. Why even kid yourself. We were doing Zootopia a favor, and this is how we were repaid. It's time to finish it Dawn." Doug growled.

"I don't care Doug. What we did was wrong, and I deserve all the scorn and hate I've gotten. You think getting rid of all predators is doing Zootopia a favor? Since when did you start speaking for all mammals?" Dawn hissed.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing! Is this the same Mayor Bellwether I used to know?" Doug spat. "The mammals of Zootopia don't know what's best for them, they'll follow any mammal if they're convincing enough. Use enough flowery language and false promises and you can lead them anywhere."

Doug began pacing again, placing a hoof to his temple in annoyance. "The only thing to do is start over, the right way. And this is your chance to get in on the ground floor Dawn. Take your rightful place."

"What are you going on about?" The ewe spat.

"Think about it Dawn!" The sheep walked back toward her. "All those years, the predators that picked on you, used you up and tossed you aside." The sheep hissed. "Those same predators run this place Dawn! It's time to-"

"It wasn't just predators Doug! It was every mammal! Every mammal that was larger than me!" Dawn growled back. "I was small, I was weak, and I didn't stand up for myself! I spent too much time listening to prey like you! Prey that convinced me that predators were the root of all my problems!"

"All the better then" The sheep snapped. "This is our chance to make them all pay Dawn! The whole city!"

"NO DOUG!" Dawn spat. "I'm done with you, it’s over. You want revenge on every mammal? Well you aren't doing it through me. I'm done being your puppet."

Vernon heard the sheep let out a prolonged sigh.

"I thought I could convince you..." Doug muttered. "I mean, you remember the trial Dawn. I never wanted you hurt; I cared about you...always."

"But I can see it'll take more than just my word to make you see what the right thing to do is here."

The ram let out a sharp whistle, causing Vernon to wince. Looking up, Vernon saw three new rams enter the room. Two were dressed in hazmat gear while the other was clad in a crisp brown suit. As the two hazmat rams removed their helmets Vernon immediately recognized them as Wooligan and Mouflon. But the one in the brown suit remained unfamiliar. He bit down on the stump of a cigar, twirling the nub from one side of his muzzle to the other. His muzzle and face were covered in smoker’s lines, and his wool was as dirty a grey as the ash on the end of his cigar. What caused Vernon to shrink in his seat were the ram's piercing yellow eyes, which had taken a brief moment to glare at the wolf before the ram made his way over to the ewe behind Vernon. As the mystery ram left his sight, Vernon began to feel Dawn's chair tremble. 

"D-Dad?"

Vernon felt anger surge through him. It couldn't be, there was no way in hell it was.

"Hello Dawn." The ram grumbled.  
"Y-you?" Dawn stuttered. "Y-you're?"

"Yes Dawnie dear, I'm in charge here. Doug works for me now." Aster replied, almost mockingly.

"Y-YOU!" The lamb was shaking; Vernon felt her finger grip his tightly. "YOU DIS-OWNED ME! YOU AND MOM DIDN'T EVEN VISIT ME!" Dawn was shouting now.

"Dawn..." Aster replied calmly.

"YOU TOLD ME I HAD 'TAINTED' THE BELLWETHER NAME! AND NOW YOU'RE DOING THIS!?" Dawn was screaming.

"Dawn." The voice was firmer now.

"WHAT A SURPRISE, MY FATHER THE DRUNK AND THE HYPOCRITE!" Dawn’s voice was laced with sarcasm.

"DAWN!" The voice bellowed. Vernon could feel Dawn shaking again, and he had had enough. The wolf began to struggle against his bindings.

"YOU!" Vernon sputtered. "YOU MONSTER!" 

"Shut it Mutt!" Aster responded.

"I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!" Vernon snarled.

"Boys." The voice said firmly.

As soon as the words left Aster's muzzle Vernon found himself at the end of two barrels held by Mouflon and Wooligan. Slowly Aster strolled over to Vernon, his eyes sharply focused on the wolf. Leaning in, he blew a puff of smoke directly into Vernon's eyes causing the wolf to wince.

"What I did to her?" Aster shook his head dismissively. " I thought I raised her right, taught her to stay away from trash like you!" The ram spat. “But I guess I didn’t beat enough sense into her.” Vernon growled lowly at the ram.

"Maybe if I had tried a bit harder with her, she would have succeeded all those years ago. But I suppose I can’t fully place the blame on her for that fiasco." The ram turned away from the wolf, walking over to Nick.

"After all, it was you two who really ruined everything." The ram sighed. "That was where she messed up, where we messed up. Predators aren't the only problem."

"So what!?" Judy piped up. "You're after prey now too?"

The ram sighed, turning his back to the group. Vernon watched another puff of smoke rise from his maw.

"We're after the city Hopps. All of it." Aster replied calmly.

"What!?" Nick snapped.

The ram turned back to face the group, his muzzle twisted into an insane grin.

"We're going to flood every district with night howler, and let this city tear itself apart until there isn't a mammal left alive." He spat.

There wasn't a mammal among the group who could suppress a gasp, the horror of Aster's statement hitting them like a blow to the gut. Vernon grit his teeth and snarled at the ram.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? I THOUGHT YOU ONLY HATED PREDATORS!" The wolf growled.

"Oh I do." The ram walked back over to the trussed wolf. Taking the cigar from his mouth, he jammed it into Vernon's muzzle causing the wolf to let out a whine of pain. "I do immensely." The ram sneered, before flicking the now extinguished cigar aside.

"VERN-"

"The problem is the city. The message Zootopia promotes. The idea that predators and prey can flourish together has persisted for far too long, and the prey of this city actively promote this idea." Aster hissed, cutting Dawn off.

"My daughter's plan failed because this city is filled with tainted prey, too many predator sympathizers like that Gazelle, or Lieutenant Hopps over there." The ram waived his hoof at the rabbit.

"After Dawn was revealed, did you see how quickly the city's tune had changed? All that anti-predator sentiment suddenly swept away in an instant. All of those simpering cowards desperate to make amends, to heal the cities wounds. Even after they were shown the true nature of all predators.” He hissed.

“Yeah, all you needed to do was drug them. Using a toxin that has shown the same effects on predators that it does on prey. Really conclusive proof there greywool.” Nick piped up.

Vernon watched the ram walk over to the fox. Aster reeled back and punched Nick hard in the stomach, sending the fox into a coughing fit.

“My boys were right; you really don’t know when to shut up do you Wilde?” Aster sneered.

“B-Beats listening t-to some-“ Nick let out another cough. “-some grizzled o-old grazer talk about h-ow superior he i-is.” Nick spat.

“But I am Wilde; all sheep are when it comes to mongrels like you.” The ram went back to pacing. “You see after Dawn’s imprisonment I knew the city was unsalvageable. All those bleeding hearts would make change impossible. From that point I knew Zootopia needed to be purged.”

The ram removed a flask from his jacket. Uncapping the silver case, Aster took a swig. Wiping his maw, he let out a sigh before the evil grin returned to his face. “So I began to reach out to all my father’s old political contacts, and the friends I made during my college days petitioning for a predator registry.” The ram let out a pleasant sigh. “Once I started digging, you’d be surprised how many more mammals came out of the woodwork. So many prominent prey so eager to finish what Doug had started. I especially lucked out with Wooligan over there.” Aster waived his flask at the ram whose barrel was still aimed on Vernon. Wooligan nodded in response.

“With him in my corner, I could get direct access to Doug. Which made it all the easier to craft this plan.” Aster chuckled, turning his back to the mammals again. “It took two years of gathering associates, and ironing out the details just to get the ball rolling.” The ram took another swig. “It all really got started once we found our little supplier.”

“That’s where Stoat came in?” Judy hissed.

The ram turned, raising his flask toward the rabbit. “Ding, ding.” The ram sneered. “As you are all well aware it is illegal to grow night howler in the city without special authorization. Luckily one of my associates is somewhat of a foreign dignitary, and had come across Stoat while staying in Howlingrad.” Aster sighed pleasantly. “The little rat was a serial counterfeiter, as well as a farmer of questionable herbal supplements and desperate to get to Zootopia any way he could.”

“So you gave him a way to easily pass off his counterfeit money, while trading the real Zbucks for his crops.” Nick growled.

“It worked perfectly. Stoat would send us the fake bills, and my associates would swap them out for the real thing. We’d send a fraction of it back to Stoat, which was still four times his local currency and in exchange we’d get tons of night howler. Nobody would expect bank owners and government employees to be assisting a counterfeiter, and they’d certainly never think to look that high up.” Aster chuckled.

“And the rest of the money?” Judy asked.

Aster motioned his flask around the room. “All of this Hopps.” The ram took a swig.   
“Doug’s lab equipment on Outback Island, my work here. The trucks, the gear, we needed to fund it all somehow. Luckily my associates were more than willing to back it.” The ram sighed wistfully. “It was all going smoothly, that is until Stoat finally arrived in Zootopia.”

“That little rat couldn’t keep to himself. He needed more.” Mouflon hissed. “He had to keep up the counterfeiting. But without us to pass off the Zbucks at higher levels, he was easily traceable.”

“He put the whole plan in jeopardy.” Aster swayed his flask at the mammals. “Luckily we covered our tracks pretty well I’d say. Pseudonyms, fake names, fake numbers.” Aster took another sip of his flask.

“AD Labs…” Nick muttered.

“Like it, it actually means Aster-Doug Labs. I thought it was cute.” Aster chuckled deeply.

“But where did I fit into all of this Dad?” Dawn sputtered.

Aster laughed. “That was Doug my child, all Doug.” Aster made his way back over to Dawn, leaving Vernon’s line of sight.

“You see I couldn’t brew the night howler myself, despite my background in chemistry. And Doug was only willing to work with me if I promised you to him.” 

Vernon felt Dawn’s chair rattle against his own.

“What!? Y-you promised m-me to him!?” The lamb spat. “Like an arranged marriage!?”

“Now, now, Doug just wanted you safe. He wanted you back in the fold. And I was willing to trade that price for his work.” The ram paced back into Vernon’s view.

“Once I agreed to that, all the work Doug completed at Outback Island was brought to me to recreate here, and we continued that line of communication up till now. The only problem became making good on my end of the bargain.” Aster growled.

“Because you had to resist us at every turn you little gimmer!” Mouflon snarled at Dawn.

“No, it’s because you wouldn’t stick to the plan Mouflon!” Yelled Doug.

“SHUT UP!” Aster bellowed, causing the rams to fall silent. Aster walked back over to the ewe, letting out a tired sigh.

“You see Dawn, Doug had this whole convoluted plan, which I’m sure he’s already told you about. A way to make you understand just how much this city despised you.” Aster strolled back over the Doug, wrapping a hoof around the sheep.

“And bless his heart, he tried his best to make sure you got the message.” Aster grinned. “But once again, there really are too many bleeding hearts in this city. Something my boy didn’t foresee.” Aster gently shook Doug.

“Mammals like Hopps, and Wilde…” The ram released Doug, making his way over to Vernon. Placing a foot on the wolf’s chair, the ram took another swig of his flask. “…and this bizarre fellow over here.” The ram snarled.

“He did his best to take them out, or push them away.” Aster grumbled. “We even killed the bear.” Suddenly Vernon felt the ram grip his muzzle tersely, shaking the wolf’s face as he stared him down. Vernon squinted as the thick stench of alcohol assaulted his nostrils. “But you!” The ram narrowed his eyes at Vernon. “Who are you!? Why did you stay!? Hmm!?” Aster growled. “What are you trying to get out of all this mutt!?”

“So what!?” Judy’s voice caused the ram to release his grip. “You’re just going to blow up trucks full of night howler all over Zootopia?” Aster pushed the wolf's muzzle away hard as he released his grip. The ram walked away from the wolf, causing Vernon to let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh no Hopps, it’s much more precise than that.” The ram grinned.

“You see, Districts like Tundratown, Sahara Square, and the Rainforest District have very complex systems in place to keep their natural environments persistent.” The ram sipped his flask. “The air conditioners in Tundratown, the rain system in the Rainforest District, the heaters in Sahara Square.” Capping his flask, he tilted it to it’s side, moving it around as if it were a toy car.

“So we load our lovely trucks up with night howler, roll them into the plants that run the biome controls for each district, and pump the gas into the systems.” The ram sneered. “With enough gas, each district will receive a thorough blanket of gas. It will be in-escapable.” 

“My gods…” Nick muttered in horror.

“Y-you…you’re sick!” Judy stuttered.

“What about Savannah Central!?” Dawn growled.

Aster chuckled. “That was the only district that caused us trouble. After all, it has no climate system in place. So were sending a bulk of the trucks there to just ride around, releasing the gas simultaneously throughout the district.” Aster uncapped his flask, taking another swig. 

“Any mammal that manages to get by un-affected won’t be able to escape alive.”

“And what happens after!?” Judy spat. “You can’t possibly believe you are going to get away with this!”

“Everything is on a time table Hopps. It's part of the long game.” Aster smiled. “All of the night howler will be released at six am tomorrow morning. This factory is also set to blow up at the same time.” The ram chuckled. “Under normal circumstances that might stand out, but they’ll be so many other fires and explosions across the city no one will notice.”

“Afterwards the Meadowlands will declare a state of emergency, and my associates will send in heavily armed troops to take back the city. Once it’s cleared it will be up to those in charge of the Meadowlands to re-establish Zootopia.” Aster took another swig of his liquor, finishing off the flask with a comfortable sigh.

“The world will be so terrified that they’ll listen to anyone who’s leading them. So when they suggest that the new Zootopia be limited to prey only, to prevent terrorist extremists from having reason to target the city again the new citizens will be more than willing to go along with it. Then we’ll slowly ease out prey mammals that are too large, too dangerous to exist around smaller prey. And then the rodents and so on. Twenty years from now, Zootopia will be transformed. A sheep only paradise, free of any threat to our kind. A beautiful Ewetopia if you will.” Aster snickered.

“Y-you…you’re evil!” Judy stammered.

“FINALLY!” Vernon’s felt shock travel through him, that had come from Dawn.

“I’ve been waiting for one of you idiots to sell me a concrete plan.” Dawn chuckled.

“D-Dawn?” Vernon muttered.

“But you send Doug in here to pitch it to me first? The most pathetic sheep I’ve ever met.”

“H-hey!” Doug stuttered.

“This Riggwelter couldn’t find his pizzle even after you sheared him, and you expected me to believe he had a fool proof way to get back at this city. Bah!” Dawn hissed.

Vernon tried to touch Dawn’s hoof, only to feel the lamb swat his paw away.

“Now someone untie me before this filthy wolf touches me again! I can’t tell you how disgusting these last few months have been.” Dawn growled.

Vernon felt his stomach sink, his ears flopping down as his face twisted in confusion. Inside the wolf felt a mixture of horror and sadness. There was no way this was really happening.

Doug looked at Aster nervously, only to receive a nod from the ram. With that, Doug ran over to the ewe, and presumably began to untie her.

“I knew I taught you well.” Aster grinned.

“I learned from the best Dad.” The ewe said, now walking up to her father. Dawn turned to glance at the roped up rabbit and fox.

“And once again the innocent ewe act plays out perfectly. Seriously how stupid can you two be?” Dawn sneered. 

Nick simply let out a weak chuckle, but Judy was clearly furious. Vernon could see the rabbit desperately trying to shake free of her chair.

“You bitch!” The rabbit hissed. “I knew it! I knew you were still the same monster you always were!”

“Aw…bunny is upset.” Dawn mocked.

“Dawn.” Doug rushed to her side, only for her to push him away.

“You want me back Doug? Then prove to me you’re a real ram and maybe in time I’ll consider it.” Dawn snarled.

Doug looked up to Aster pleadingly, but the ram simply laughed.

“Doug as much as I like you son, gotta respect a ewe who can command herself.”

As Doug seemed to falter, Dawn strolled over to the nearby table. Leaning against it the ewe crossed her arms. A smug grin crossing her muzzle.

“So what do we do now Dad? How can I help?” She smirked.

While the rabbit continued to fire off obscenities at the lamb, Vernon was lost in his own thoughts. Something seemed off about this whole thing, it couldn’t make sense to him no matter how hard he tried to wrap his mind around it. There was no way Dawn would turn on them, on him. A familiar uneasy feeling burned within the wolf, something he couldn't quite place.

“Well, we have to start filling the trucks Dawn.” The ram pointed to the truck outside, parked under the injection nozzle. “How’d you like to fill the first one?” Aster grinned.

The ewe hopped away from the table, clapping her hooves together excitedly.

“Oh really! I’d love too!” She chirped.

“Now wait a second.” Mouflon interrupted. “You aren’t going to let her j-“

“Shut it Mouflon.” Aster growled.

“No I won’t!” He snarled back. “You are telling me were going to jeopardize everything for Dawn again!? That you’ll just take her back, just like that!?”

“Blood is thicker than water Mouflon.” Aster sneered, giving Dawn a pat on the head.

“Well then I’m done Aster, I’m walking out of this idiotic operation. You and Doug have been playing fast and loose for too long!” Mouflon was up in Aster’s face.

The rams face was cold and calm as he stared Mouflon down.

“Fine, go on Gavin. You can leave.” Aster replied calmly.

Mouflon gave a final snarl before turning away from Aster. He had barely made it a step toward the door before a shot rang out. Vernon watched as Mouflon’s lifeless body crumpled to the floor. The other rams had backed away in fear, leaving Aster standing alone, smoke still wafting out of the barrel of his gun.

“ANYONE ELSE WANT OUT?” Aster hissed, glancing at the other rams around him. The only one who had remained close to him was Dawn, her face remaining stoic despite her father’s actions. Slowly the rest of the rams filed back in around him.

“If anyone was causing problems Mouflon it was you.” Aster spat. “That’s what happens when you deviate from the plan!”

Aster turned to give the group of mammals a final grin. “Well, let’s get moving. We have a city to raze.” He chuckled, motioning his rams out of the room.

“Oh Dad. You should lock the door behind us. We don’t want those cops getting loose now do we?” Dawn sneered at Nick.

Aster merely rubbed the poof on Dawn’s head, before turning to exit the room.

“You heard her boys, seal it up. We’ll deal with them later.” Aster chuckled.

Before exiting Dawn gave a final glance at the group, weakly waving a hoof at them.

“Bye Bye Bunny.” She grinned.

And with that, the reinforced door was sealed shut.

“T-that!” Judy sputtered. “I’LL KILL HER!”

As the rabbit continued to blurt obscenities, Vernon simply watched the lambs head to the nearby platform in disbelief. As they explained the instructions to Dawn, a growing dread began to fill Vernon. Something was off, and the tension in his stomach was building. He knew there was more to this than met the eye. He was unwilling to believe that Dawn would turn on them, not after everything they had been through. The wolf tried his best to hear them over Judy’s hollering.

“That’s it Dawn, just pull the lever down.” He could barely hear Aster.

Vernon watched the rubber nozzle extend, lining up with the top of the truck. Once it was close, two rams scaled the vehicle and lined the nozzle up properly, signaling Aster when it was attached.

“Now press the locking mechanism to hold it in place.” The ram continued.

“AHA!” Judy suddenly sounded. Vernon looked over to see the rabbit was free from her bindings, and was now working to untie Nick. “I’ve got you Nick! Hold on!”

Vernon turned back to watch the rams as an siren began to ring out. Yellow lights flashed throughout the plant, creating an ebbing green color against the already dominant blue. The wolf’s mind continued to reel. No, something was very wrong, and as he continued to turn over what was happening his feeling of dread continued to grow more powerful.

“Now just hit the injector switch and it’s all set.” Aster concluded.

With the whirr of several engines, Vernon watched the bright blue liquid flow down a cable into the nozzle before disappearing into the truck. As it continued to flow he felt a tugging on his own bindings.

“C’mon Puppy, we're getting you out of here.” It was Nick’s voice, but Vernon didn’t turn to engage him. He continued to stare through the sealed door’s window at the rams, at Dawn. Suddenly what was happening hit the wolf like a ton of bricks. That uneasy feeling wasn't disbelief, or betrayal. No it was the same sensation he got when he was certain a mammal was lying to him, a feeling his Father was certain al Hunters carried. Vernon could hear his own words replaying in his head as the realization hit him.

"My family can smell bullshit a mile away. My pop swears we have a scent for it. I don't personally think we smell anything though, I think it's just good intuition. That much I'll swear by."

"No..." Vernon mumbled, his eyes growing wide in terror.

Time seemed to slow as the wolf watched Dawn, seeing her turn to catch his glance. Her eyes were sorrowful, just stating to brim with tears.

"Sorry Puppy..." the ewe mouthed to him.

"NO!" The wolf's bindings were away, and he flung his body toward the door. With a sudden yank of the lever, the ewe reversed the controls before snapping it off the console. The nozzle, now locked in place desperately tried to pull away from the truck. With a sharp and mechanical tug the plastic was stretched to it's limits before snapping back into place, barely managing to hold together. With the second yank however, the nozzle ruptured, spewing night howler gas out into the open. Vernon started yanking the sealed door, clawing at it in an effort to break through.

"WHY YOU LI-!" Aster dove at his daughter as the two disappeared into the growing blue cloud. The other rams, most without their masks began to flee in all directions. 

"NO!NO!NO!" Vernon whined, pounding on the door. His claws left trails in the polished metal with each wild scrape.

"What the hell?" Nick muttered.

"Did she?" Judy added.

Vernon's aggressive attempts to break the door began to slow as the vile blue plume spread across the plant, swallowing the remaining rams under its thick haze. The wolf’s paws now dragging slowly down the glass as he looked on in horror.

“No…” He whispered weakly.

“S-She played him.” Nick uttered. “She even sealed us up in here to buy us time.” 

“We have to get out of here now Nick!” Judy replied.

Vernon continued to stare listlessly out into the now smoke filled chamber. He couldn’t see anything anymore, but he could hear it. Wild bleating and shrieking was now emanating from various areas of the fog, as well as the screams of the un-affected rams still in their suits. Vernon’s mind had gone blank; he had shut down completely at the thought of losing Dawn.

“Where’s my fox spray!?” Nick yelled.

“Forget it Nick! Just help me find a way out!”

Suddenly a silhouette formed in the gases cloud, slinking toward the door. As it came closer, Vernon recognized it as Aster Bellwether.

The ram was on all fours now, his piercing yellow eyes filled with even more hatred than before. Glaring up at the wolf behind the glass, the ram let out a guttural feral bleat before ramming full speed into the door. The vibration traveled through the wolf as the ram made contact, but he remained unmoved.

“What about the windows!?” Nick Piped up. “Those high ones facing the outside. We can probably bust them out!”

“Worth a try!” Judy replied.

The large ram butted the door again, letting out another snarling bleat. On the third impact the ram stumbled back, blood now dripping from the base of one of his horns. It was clear his physiology wasn’t made to withstand the tempered steel. But despite the repeated failed attempts, the ram snorted and readied another strike.

“Extinguisher! I’ll knock it out with the extinguisher!” Nick’s voice was panicked.

Suddenly the ram stopped. Sniffing the air his eyes went wide with fear before the ram scurried off into the fog. Vernon still leaned against the window, his mind starting to come back to life as reality set in. She was gone, she was really gone. Dawn had sacrificed herself to save them.

THUNK! The sound made Vernon jump. THUNK! THUNK! It repeated. Vernon glanced backward to see the fox cop standing on one of the chairs, desperately trying to break the frosted window with a fire extinguisher.

“WHY ISN’T THIS WORKING!?” The fox sputtered.

“TRY HARDER! WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THIS ROOM CAN KEEP OUT THE GAS!” The rabbit yelled.

Another guttural bleat caused Vernon’s fur to stand on end. Turning back to the window, the wolf saw a smaller shadow making its way toward the door. He felt tears welling as the familiar form of Dawn Bellwether slowly approached the door. The little ewe was on all fours, her blue eyes smoldering with feral rage.

“D-Dawn” Vernon clasped his paw over his mouth to stifle a sob.

The ewe looked up at the wolf, staring at him with fear in her eyes. Yet she didn’t flee, instead she continued to stare like a deer in headlights.

“D-Dawn?” Vernon asked, his tears still flowing.

He watched as the ewes eyes softened, fear fading as she stared into the wolf’s eyes. Slowly the ewe crept closer to the door, until she was nearly right in front of it.

“Dawn!” Vernon cried. “Dawn I’m so sorry.” He wept.

The ewe simply eyed the wolf curiously, before turning away from the wolf and lying in front of the door. She let out a soft bleat as she laid her head on her hooves.

“S-she’s still t-trying to protect us?” Vernon’s jaw dropped. “P-protect me?” 

Dawn glanced back at the wolf once more, her feral eyes seemingly sad. She released a final lamenting bleat before passing out.

“I’ll save you! I won’t let you die here Dawn!” The wolf pounded on the door again.

With a sigh, the wolf ran a paw across his scalp. Turning around he began to march over to the fox cop, still desperately trying to break the windows.

“THIS ISN’T WORKING CARROTS!” The fox yelped.

“I CAN SEE THAT NICK!” The rabbit huffed.

“WELL WH-“Before Nick could finish his sentence, the wolf had snatched the fire extinguisher from his paws.

“VERNON WH-!?”

“The windows are high density plastic you dummy.” The wolf barked. Vernon began to eye the walls as he continued, searching for the key to their freedom.

“These abandoned places, the banks that repossess them usually replace the outside glass with plastic. That way vandal’s can’t bust them out, and urban explorers don’t cut themselves and sue.” The wolf continued, eyeing the plated steel seams.

“So what do we do then!?” Nick sputtered.

“Luckily a lot of these factories are built from crap templates, so they can get them up quicker.” The wolf pressed a paw against a seam; it seemed to give slightly under the pressure. 

“Sometimes the rivets don’t line up with the beams, and so instead of adding a new beam they leave the rivet holes empty.”

“But what does that have to do-“

The wolf reeled the extinguisher back, before slamming it hard against the split in the metal. However, the metal withstood the pounding, shimmering slightly as the vibration traveled through it.

“Well that didn’t work big fella, got any other br-“

The wolf slammed against the steel again, and this time it caved under the pressure splitting the plates outward and apart into the crisp night air. The wolf hit the wall again and again, the plates popping apart like a zipper as he moved up the panel until finally a large gash had been carved into the side of the room. Vernon placed the extinguisher down and wiped off his paws. Turning to Judy, he waived his paw toward the gaping hole.

“Ladies first.” Vernon said.

The rabbit nodded, quickly hopping outside into the dark Tundratown night. Vernon turned his eyes to Nick, who grinned before making his way into the gash. Before the fox had made his way through, he glanced back at Vernon.

“How did you know that Vernon?” The fox asked.

The wolf made his way next to the opening, preparing to make his own exit.

“I’m an architect; we had a class on this kind of stuff Red.” The wolf smirked weakly.

With a chuckle Nick made his way outside.

As Vernon clambered through the massive hole, he took one last glance back at the fortified door.

“I’m going to save you Floofs. I will.” He growled. And with that, the wolf disappeared into the night.


	23. The Longest Night

Vernon stood in the ankle deep snow that now blanketed the parking lot of the long abandoned factory. On the outside the wolf appeared stable, not even shivering under the cold winds that were building from the growing storm. But on the inside he was melting down. His mind was a torrent of panic and terror, all screaming for him to do something to save Dawn, while knowing that there was nothing he could do without police help. Vernon grit his teeth as he peered through the gale, watching as Nick Wilde tromped his way over to the phone box at the far end of the lot. A soft whine escaped his muzzle as he silently prayed that it was in working order.

"H-hey..."

Vernon glanced down at the small rabbit standing beside him, the snow nearly up to her mid calf due to her size. Judy had clasped her upper arms, and was huffing in an effort to keep warm. Despite the chill, she still reached out to Vernon, laying a paw on his leg reassuringly.

"We'll g-get her out o-okay?" The rabbit chattered.

Vernon simply looked back toward the distant orange glimmer in the snow, letting out another soft whine. Vernon knew that they would get Dawn out, but what mattered was how long it took. It was clear to the wolf that the longer the exposure to the steady stream of gas, the higher the mortality rate. Between Stoat, Polaraski, and the other Bug Burgas that was fairly evident. The wolf figured a mammal of Dawn's size would be even more susceptible to faltering under those conditions. With each moment that ticked by the wolf felt tension in his chest increase. 'He had to hurry, he had to save Dawn' his mind continued to assail him.

After what seemed like an eternity the fox tromped back over to the pair, his face twisted in grimace.

"Box is gutted, there's no phone." Nick said, rubbing his arms to keep warm.

"W-what!?" Judy replied.

Vernon's heart dropped, the tension in his chest becoming nearly paralyzing. He tried to speak but the words wouldn't come.

"It's gone, It's not there anymore." Nick chomped at the bracing wind.

"Why?" Judy stuttered.

"I don't know Carrots. Blame cell phones. I haven't seen a working public phone in a decade, and I used to be a con-mammal. I made my living in part by public phone lines." Nick grunted.

"W-what do we do?" The rabbit's teeth were chattering.

Vernon felt himself begin to tremble as his panic grew. The longer the cops argued the less time Dawn had. But still there was no solution of how to flag help. Vernon's teeth began to chatter, and he could no longer suppress the steady stream of whines that were coming out of him. His eyes began to dart from one officer to the other as they spoke.

"Is there a g-gas station?" Judy huffed.

"I don't know Carrots, I've never really been this far up in Tundratown. I might as well be in another country." Nick hunched down, continuing to rub his upper arms.

"Well if we start w-walking-"

"We have to pick a direction Carrots, the wrong one and Dawn dies in there. Guaranteed." Nick cut her off.

As the words left Nick's muzzle, the tension in Vernon's chest spread to his head. The terrifying thoughts quickly rose to a deafening din, and Vernon clasped his paws to his head in an effort to ease the phantom pressure.

"We could each go in one direct-"

"Someone has to stay with V-Vernon." Judy had now cut Nick off.

"He's a grown mammal, he can wait here." The fox bared his teeth at the whipping wind.

"W-what if something comes o-out of there, or h-he does something st-tupid and tries to go in there a-alone." Judy retorted.

"Damn I hate this cold." Nick hissed, clasping his paws to his face in frustration. "Had to get dragged out here on the same night they schedule a blizzard."

Vernon's mind had reached a breaking point, a whirling maelstrom of fear and the need to act. All he could picture was Dawn lying dead on the cold factory floor, or being torn apart by the other wild rams. A new sensation began to rise in his chest, the tingling that came before something the wolf always desperately tried to keep under control. But with no hope, and nothing he could do, Vernon couldn't keep it back any longer. It was the act of a desperate and terrified wolf.

"If we had w-working eq-"

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Vernon howled loud and mournfully, his head turned toward the night sky.

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Came another, and another. Vernon could feel one of the cops shaking him, trying to get his attention.

"E-easy big guy! Tone it down!" Nick's voice bellowed.

Vernon ignored the fox, continuing with another mournful howl. Tears were welling in his eyes now. He couldn't help himself anymore, the pain was too great to keep inside.

"V-Vernon! This-s isn't helping!" Barked Judy.

The wolf had tuned the pair out, lost in a sea of his own emotions. He howled again, a depressing and miserable call. It lingered on the winds for a moment before ceding to the silence of the deep purple sky. Vernon prepared to let out another yell, when he heard something. A low, but steady reply from out of the dark.

"Awoooo...." Came from somewhere nearby, Vernon could tell by the sound alone it was close, maybe a block away. Vernon snapped his head down to look at the two officers. Their eyes were tightly shut, and they had their paws clasped firmly over their ears. Slowly Judy cracked open an eye, and peeked at the equally shocked Vernon.

"D-did you hear that?" Judy asked.

"I heard Vernon." Nick grumbled.

"AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Vernon called again, his tail wagging as his interest piqued.

"VERNON, PLE-"

"AwwwwwOOOOoooo" Another response cut the fox off, it was closer now and was starting to sound familiar to the wolf.

As he let out another howl, a spotlight fell on the trio. Vernon shielded his eyes from the bulk of the blinding light with an arm, doing his best to peer through the intense beam in an effort to see the source. He could hear a vehicle approaching behind the glow, its brakes letting off a squeal as it came to a stop. As the light died Vernon could finally make out a squad car pulling up to the group. Leaning out of the window of the driver's side was another wolf, paw still up to his muzzle ready to call out again. Vernon's tail wagged furiously as he quickly came to recognize the officer.

"Teeth to tails!" The cop cried. "Puppy is that you!?" 

"W-wade!" Vernon cried.

"I don't believe it." Nick sputtered in shock. 

Judy hadn't even spoken, instead taking off in leaps and bounds toward the patrol car. The rabbit held her badge up to Wade as she opened the driver's side door.

"Lieutenant Judith Lavern Hopps, ZPD. I need to commandeer your radio officer." She barked.

Wade nearly stumbled out of the vehicle as the door lurched open with him still hanging out of it. Letting his feet touch the ground, Wade stood bent allowing the rabbit to awkwardly push around the wolf. As Judy pulled herself up onto the driver's seat, the wolf walked around the door, looking back at the rabbit slightly bewildered.

"Uh-sure thing Lieutenant." The wolf muttered. Looking back at his brother Wade scratched his head in confusion.

"What in sweet sawgrass is going on around here Vern?" Wade asked.

Vernon had practically bounded at Wade, wrapping his arms around the slightly smaller wolf.

"Am I g-glad to s-see you!" The wolf cried. "What a-are you e-even doing out he-ere!?" Vernon sobbed.

"Same question." Nick added, as he walked up next to the two wolves.

"Easy Vern, easy!" Wade said, patting the wolf on the back.

From the passenger side of the vehicle, another mammal stepped out into the snow. The small arctic fox placed her paws on her hips before throwing a curious glance over to Wade.

"That's your brother?" She asked.

 

"Yeah Mavsa, this is my little brother Vernon." Wade replied to the vixen. "This is my beat. Mavsa and I were driving along when I heard that distressed howl. Sounded like trouble, so I wanted to check in on it." Vernon pulled away from Wade, now doing his best to suck back his tears. "The last wolf I expected it to be was you though!" Wade laughed.

"You want to let us in on what's happening here?" Mavsa had now made her way next to Nick, she leaned against the cruiser as she spoke.

"Yeah Vern, why are you so worked up?" Wade placed a paw on Vernon's shoulder. "This doesn't have to do with Bellwether does it?"

"Well-"

"The ZPD is on it's way!" Judy yelled from the front seat. "They're sending everything they've got! They should have extraction teams out here in about ten minutes!"

"Ten minutes!?" Vernon cried. Vernon had practically pushed his brother aside as he made his way to the cruiser window, his paws clasping at the door frame. "But we have to get in there now!"

"It's unsafe to go in there Vernon. It's not just the risk of going savage without having proper hazmat suits, but with the power still running to that place the gas is still pouring out. That level of concentrated gas could kill any one of us!" The rabbit looked down mournfully.

"What if the power was off!?" Vernon barked at the rabbit, causing her to shirk into the seat.

"We still couldn't go in there with-"

"Would it buy her some time!?" Vernon cut her off.

"I-er..." Judy scratched her chin. "I guess in theory, I-I mean if the gas flow stopped the amount the remaining gas wouldn't be as concentrated." The rabbit mused. "But we have to wait for the electri-"

Vernon turned back to his brother, grasping the wolf by his shoulders.

"Open the trunk Wade!" Vernon growled.

"What, why!?" Wade sputtered.

"JUST DO IT!" Vernon barked, his eyes were burning with severity.

Wade reached into the passenger window, pulling the plunger that opened the cruiser's trunk. Vernon was already behind the vehicle before the telltale 'THUNK' sound of the trunk opening had even fully sounded.

"What's he doing!?" Vernon heard the rabbit yell out as he dug through the trunks contents. Finding what he was looking for, he grasped the weapon tightly in his paws. Opening the chamber the wolf began to load rounds into the gun.

"I dunno, Vernon!?" He heard Wade respond. Grabbing another handful of rounds, the wolf shoved them into his pocket. 'Thank the gods Dad taught us our way around these things.' Vernon thought, a mad grin forming on his muzzle.

He didn't even look up at his brother as he pushed passed him, the shotgun clasped tightly in his paws.

"Woah Vernon! That's for emergencies only, you ca-"

"Is that a shotgun!?" Judy's voice cried.

"Woah, big guy, that's a polic-"

Vernon pushed passed the foxes, his eyes set on the target jutting out of the snow ahead. The large grey box was covered with icicles, a single padlock securing it's large steel doors. As the wolf closed in on it he could hear the deafening hum of electricity crackling just behind the panels.

"Vernon! Stop right now!" The rabbit called again.

Vernon tuned them out. The blood was pumping so hard through him he could hear the beating in his ears. He was going to do something, the wolf thought. Even if he couldn't go in he was going to do everything in his power to buy Dawn time.

'CRACK!' Was the sound the padlock made as the wolf slammed the butt of the gun against it. It fell away immediately under the force of the blow, the metal hook shattering like the ice that incased it. Vernon threw the now unlocked doors open, exposing the complex inner workings of the transformer to the crisp air. The thrum of the electricity flowing through it was earsplitting, but the wolf paid it little mind as he raised the rifle. Backing away slightly, the wolf aimed at the heart of the device.

"VERNON! DO-"

'BOOOOOOOOM!' The first shot smashed into the machinery. The transformer buzzed and crackled, letting a few free bolts of electricity and a volley of sparks fly. The thrumming began to stagger, rising and fading as the surge of electricity shakily tried to keep flowing. The wolf popped open the chamber of the gun again, loading another two rounds in.

"ARE YOU CRA-"

'BOOOOOOOOM!' FZZZZZZT!" The second shot caused the transformer erupt into flames. The force of the blast pushed Vernon back slightly but he managed to remain on his feet. Another explosion ripped through the device, sending shrapnel out of the top of it along with more sparks and fire, and with a final groan the hum of electric energy came to a stop. 

Vernon turned to look at the factory, watching the few dim lights inside fade away into darkness. But the factory wasn't the only light to die away. The wolf could see the dim lights of distant buildings along the seaside flicker off one by one. Suddenly the wolf felt the shotgun tugged roughly out of his paws.

"Are you insane!?" Mavsa was now holding the smoking shotgun, staring up at the wolf with accusing eyes. "This is a live round weapon for police use only!" The fox snarled.

"You could have killed yourself!" Judy's voice chimed in. "You might as well have been shooting at a bomb! You're lucky that shrapnel didn't fly at you!"

Vernon looked down at the two small mammals, flashing the two a glare.

"Hey, I cut the power at least!" Vernon hissed. "You weren't willing to do anything but wait!"

The rabbit placed a paw to her forehead. "Because doing something like that could KILL someone!" The rabbit emphasized.

Judy waived a paw at the now dark coastline. "As well as cause a power surge that knocks out the whole area! Do you ever think anything through!?" 

"Fine!" Vernon snarled, walking back toward the squad car. Nick and Wade merely stood staring at the others in confusion. "Arrest me then! As long as I gave Dawn a chance I don't care! It's more than you gave her!" The wolf snarled, trudging up to his brother and holding out his paws in anticipation of being cuffed.

Wade merely looked at him dumbly, and after a moment shook his head.

"Why would I arrest you when I used the rifle?" Wade gave a small grin.

"W-what?" Vernon could hear Mavsa reply.

"It was a bad call maybe, but a life was on the line." The wolf continued to grin.

Vernon turned back around to glance at the two mammals in the snow. Judy's ears had drooped, and the rabbit's head was turned to the ground. The fox however, looked particularly annoyed.

"Alright, fine. So that's the story were going with?" She shrugged. "But you owe me one Wade."

It had only been about eight minutes before the lot was swarming with ZPD from every precinct, Although to Vernon it had felt like eons. The area was now fully illuminated under the flashing hazard lights of the various police vehicles as well as the high beams of portable generators. Vernon had spent his time sitting on the hood of his brothers car, saying little after gunning down the transformer in blind desperation. But as the hazmat and emergency teams arrived, the wolf took off like a shot after them. He had almost cleared a path to the arriving masked mammals when a large mammal reached a hoofed arm out, blocking his path. Vernon looked up in shock at the wall of a mammal the arm belonged to. The water buffalo stared at him with a grim and serious expression.

"Hold on! Stop right there!" The mammal growled.

"Dawn's in there! By the door! I have to tell them!" The wolf sputtered, trying to push past the water buffalo. The mammal grabbed the wolf by the scruff with his other arm, effectively stopping him in his tracks. Despite being unable able to proceed, the wolf flailed his arms toward the hazmat mammals as they began to exit their vehicle.

"Chief!" Vernon turned to see officer Hopps run up to his side.

"Hopps." The buffalo replied. The Chief lifted the wolf toward the rabbit. "Is this yours?" 

"That's Vernon Hunter." Hopps stated.

"The runaway." The mammal grumbled, eyeing the wolf suspiciously.

"Please sir! You need to tell them! She'll die-"

"You're in some deep trouble son." The buffalo chided.

"I don't care! Just save Dawn! She's outside the door of the office! Please!" Vernon cried, still flailing.

"Chief, its all been a misunderstanding! You have to do what he says!" Vernon looked at the rabbit in surprise.

The Chief let out a derisive snort. "A misunderstanding? If I'm not mistaken he abetted a suspected criminal in escaping police custody. That much is pretty cut and dry."

"Chief, Detective Wilde and I will explain it all in our statements. Just listen to him." The rabbit said pleadingly.

Vernon eyed the water buffalo pleadingly. The chief seemed unmoving, his features remaining stoic and fierce. However after a few moments he let out a reluctant sigh.

"What do you need to tell me Mr. Hunter. Tell me calmly and clearly." The Chief grunted.

"Dawn Bellwether is still in there. She's just outside the office door through that tear in the metal." Vernon pointed a finger toward the gash he had made earlier as the buffalo lowered him back to the ground. "She's going to die if you don't get her out!" Vernon yelped.

The Buffalo stared hard at the wolf for a moment. It seemed as though he wasn't going to act on the wolf's pleas until he swiftly turned and placed a hoof by his mouth.

"Dawn Bellwether is priority one!" The buffalo snarled at the hazmat team. Pointing a hoof at the rip in the metal, he motioned for the team to enter. "In there, she's behind the door on the other side! Get her first!"

Vernon dropped to his knees, frozen as he watched the team enter the gaping metal tear before disappearing into the structure. The wolf had begun biting on his claws before he felt a paw on his shoulder. Looking over he could see that Judy had taken a stance next to him.

"It will be okay Vernon." The cop said. "I'm sure she will be okay."

The wolf simply let out a whimper before continuing to stare at the rip in the building. The wait was agonizing, tearing at the wolf's insides as he kneeled in the snow. Despite Judy's attempts at reassurance, all the wolf could feel was dread. He expected at any moment a mammal would emerge requesting a body bag. The wolf inadvertently clutched his chest at the thought. 'Please be alive.' He thought. 

The wolf's breath hitched in his throat when he finally caught movement coming from the opening. Three of the hazmat mammals had come out carrying a small form above the snow. Rising to his feet the wolf did his best to peer over the huddled mammals, but he still couldn't make out exactly who they were carrying. He saw one waive to the nearby paramedics, signaling to them the need for a gurney. As they rolled the bed over, The hazmat team loaded the small mammal onto the cot.   
The group parted quickly, flanking the corners of the gurney in order to carry it off and allowing Vernon to finally catch a glimpse of the lamb he'd been looking for. Dawn was still unconscious from what he could see, but the fact that the medical team quickly placed a breathing mask over the ewe's muzzle let the wolf know she was still breathing.

"DAWN!" The wolf tried to run before feeling a familiar tug at the scruff off his neck. Looking back he could see the Chief had once again gripped the wolf tightly, preventing him from moving.

"Mr. Hunter! You cannot just go ov-"

"I NEED TO SEE HER!" The wolf pleaded.

"Mr. Hunter, she hasn't been disinfected! Touching her without hazmat gear would put you at risk of night howler exposure!" The buffalo huffed. Vernon looked at the chief with confusion. "Trust me, it happened at one of the Bug Burgas. One of our officers touched a victim and went savage in less than thirty seconds. He had to be restrained by three officers, and is still recovering in the hospital." Vernon eyed the medical team. They were now loading the ewe into the back of an ambulance.

"Then let me go with her at least!" The wolf cried.

"Mr. Hunter. I'm still somewhat in the dark about all that's happened here, I need statements from Hopps, Wilde, and you. You are the only witnesses we have at the moment." The Chief stabbed a hoof at the wolf's chest. "You will have to wait until I get your statement."

"NO!" The wolf tried to pull free from the massive mammal's grip. "I CAN'T LEAVE HER ALONE!" 

Vernon began to thrash harder as he saw the wildebeest reach for his cuffs.

"If you don't settle down I-"

"Chief Bogo!" Judy interrupted.

Vernon went limp, turning his attention to the rabbit. He heard the Chief let out an irritated sigh.

"What is it Hopps?" the large mammal grumbled.

"Just give me a second." The rabbit held up a claw. Judy turned her attention to the group of cops who had first arrived. At a glance Vernon could see his brother and his partner chatting up a very exhausted Detective Wilde.

"Officer Hunter!" The rabbit called.

Vernon watched his brother Wade perk his head up. The wolf turned to look at the rabbit, only for his eyes to widen as he presumably noticed Vernon hanging in the air. The wolf quickly bounded over, clasping a paw to his cap to keep it from coming away.

"What's the problem? What did Vernon do n-?"

"Officer Hunter here would be more than happy to take his brother's statement and send it right back to us while transporting Vernon to the hospital." Judy cut him off.

Vernon looked at Judy in shock. The sentiment was shared by his brother Wade, but the wolf quickly doused the expression and feigned confidence.

"Y-yes sir, my partner and I would be more than happy to assist." Wade added.

"Officer Hopps." Chief Bogo grumbled.

"It's important that Vernon is there Chief, he is Dawn's only medical contact after all."

Vernon felt tears welling in his eyes as he stared at Judy. He hadn't expected the rabbit to help him, not when it came to Dawn of all mammals. The rabbit gave him a soft smile in response.

"FINE!" Bogo snarled, letting the wolf down gently. "He can go, but in the meantime I want you and Wilde to give me your statements now!" The wolf glanced back at the beleaguered Chief of police, his hoof to his head as if suffering from a severe migraine.

"Thank you C-chief." Vernon uttered. The buffalo simply grumbled in reply before waiving the wolf away.

Wade motioned his brother to follow him, before beginning to walk toward his cruiser where the two foxes were still talking. As Vernon began to dutifully follow his brother, he gave a final turn back to Lieutenant Hopps. The wolf's lip trembled as he mouthed a thank you back to the rabbit. Judy gave the wolf a sad smile, waiving him off with a nod.

As the pair approached the squad car Vernon could hear the two foxes sharing a laugh.

"Oh Detective Wilde, you really are a card." Mavsa waived a paw.

"Not so bad yourself miss 'third fox to join the ZPD and class valedictorian'." Nick cooed playfully.

"Hey Mavsa, we have to wrap this up." Wade interrupted. "We're tailing that ambulance on it's way out. My brother needs a lift."

The fox pouted her lip. "Aww, and here I was starting to have a good time." The fox shrugged. Vernon watched as she swayed over to the passenger door.

The fox opened it before turning back to Nick.

"So, you're gonna make a lady ask if a handsome tod like you is seeing some mammal or..." The vixen trailed off.

Vernon watched as Nick let out a weak chuckle.

"Sorry sister." A small smirk crossed Nick's muzzle. Vernon watched as the fox looked over at Lieutenant Hopps, who's arms were flailing like mad as she retold the tale of the nights events to her superior officer. Nick smirked, letting out another soft chuckle.

"I'm afraid my heart belongs to another mammal." Nick's glance turned to Vernon, and he gave the wolf a knowing nod.

Vernon nodded in kind, sharing an unspoken moment of understanding with the fox. It seemed the two weren't so different after all. Vernon gave Nick a smile before making his way to the back door of the cruiser.

"WILDE! GET OVER HERE NOW!" Bogo yelled over the snow.

"Uh-oh, Daddies mad at me." The fox meekly chuckled. Pushing his body off the squad car, the fox began to saunter toward the towering water buffalo.

Now in the car, Vernon tilted his head back and let out a sigh. The last thirty six some odd hours had been the most tense and horrific in all of his life. And while it wasn't over by a long shot just being in a squad car and knowing that the rams had been dealt with allowed some of the tension that wracked his body to melt away. He continued to stare up at the roof of the police car as he heard the doors close, and the engine start. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier as the wolf finally started to succumb to exhaustion. He had expected his brother's question to keep his attention, to keep the wolf from drifting off. But they never came, and thus as the car pulled away the wolf drifted into wearied sleep.


	24. Watching Over Her

The dull beeping of the heart monitor roused Vernon from his slumber, his ear twitching along to the steady tone. The tired wolf blearily opened his eyes. His vision was clouded, eyes still coated in the tacky goo left behind from a troubled sleep. He was still where he had fallen the night before, sitting in a chair, his head rested on side of the hospital bed where the now comatose Dawn Bellwether lay. His paw still clasped tightly over her hoof as it had been since he had passed out in the early morning hours. Vernon frowned at the still unconscious ewe, letting out a disappointed sigh as he finally raised his head off the bed. Glancing up at the nearby clock, Vernon let out another sigh.

"Two fifty-three?" The wolf grumbled. Vernon turned back to the sleeping sheep, his frown deepening. "Here I was thinking you'd be out of this by now Floofs." 

Laying his head back on the mattress, he continued to stare at the ewe with sad eyes. "You can get through this Dawn, I know you can." He mumbled somberly.

As he continued to watch Dawn's chest rise and fall with each breath, his mind replayed the events of the night before.

Vernon couldn't remember exactly when he had fallen asleep in the squad car, the only thing he could recall was his brother Wade shaking him awake when they had arrived at Grizzly Falls General Hospital. It had only taken the sleepy wolf a moment to recollect exactly what was going on before he took off like a flash, bowling his brother over as he rushed to the emergency room doors. There was an argument at first, the doctors and nurses were reluctant to tell Vernon anything since he wasn't a blood relative. Judy may have bluffed to her boss about the wolf being Dawn's contact, but he couldn't exactly bluff his name onto the adequate paperwork. One particularly snippy gazelle nurse was about ready to call in security when Wade and Mavsa finally entered the waiting room after Vernon. Another brief discussion, and with proof of the wolf's shared address and police backing the hospital caved to Vernon's desperate pleading. But despite the approval the wolf was still required to wait in the emergency room until Dawn was stabilized and de-contaminated. 

What followed was the most agonizing two hours of Vernon's life, most of which was spent pacing a hole into the aged tile floor of the waiting room. Wade and Mavsa did their best to distract the wolf, although in retrospect Vernon chalked most of that up to adherence to police procedure. Wade had started by taking down Vernon's version of the events of the preceding nights, going as far back as the attack on Bug Burga that the wolf had failed to give a statement on.   
Vernon did his best to gloss over the parts that featured him prominently breaking the law, such as basically ewe-napping Dawn and the high speed chase with officer Hopps and Wilde, instead trying to keep the officers focused on the rest of the harrowing tale. He would go on to explain the drive-thru attacks, the chase through the Rain Forest, getting knocked over the falls, and Dawn's heroic sacrifice in excruciating detail. Vernon did the best he could to keep his attention centered on telling the officers everything, but growing fear in him kept his eyes frequently falling back to the unmoving doors of the intensive care wing. As Vernon finally reached the point in the story describing Dawn's double cross, the wolf could barely keep it together. He whimpered and whined, choking back sobs at the memory of Dawn's shambling form lost in the blue fog. Mavsa had to grab the wolf's attention several times during that part of his report, the thought of Dawn's well being forcing his attention back on the unmoving doors, and the eternal waiting.

It had taken less than an hour to recount everything Vernon could remember. Mavsa, satisfied with the report called for her partner to pack it in for the night. But much to Vernon's relief Wade refused to leave him alone, offering to stay until they found out what happened to the little ewe. Wade told Mavsa to head back to the station and let the Chief know he had a family emergency, and to clock the wolf out.

After the arctic fox left, Wade did his best to make conversation. The two talked about old family stories, what was going on with the other brothers in the family, and what was happing in their own lives. Vernon tried to give Wade his full attention, but in truth he had only heard about half of what Wade said during most of their talk. Vernon's mind was far too focused on Dawn. 'Was she going to pull through? What if the doctors don't give their all to help because of who Dawn is? What if...' Vernon couldn't bear to think it. The wolf couldn't even entertain the idea of Dawn not making it through the ordeal. It didn't take long for Wade to call him on his waning focus.

"You aren't listening to a word I've said, are you?" Wade said bluntly.

"Wh-what!?" Vernon snapped his head away from the intensive care entrance and back on his brother. "I am, I am!"

Wade just stared at his brother flatly. "What did I say then?"

Vernon bit his claws, glancing back at the double doors one more time. 

"Uh...police stuff?" Vernon said meekly.

Wade chuckled. "You really care about that lamb huh? A Bellwether?" Wade pat the arm rests of his chair idly.

Vernon looked down at the floor, he could feel his tears welling up again. Wiping his eyes he looked back up at Wade.

"I-I.." He sniffled. "I love her Wade. Like really love her."

"Whoa." Wade looked surprised. "You do know she's prey ri-"

Vernon glared at his brother, severity in his eyes. "Don't you dare mister 'I really want to ask that cute giraffe cow who works at the coffee place across from my precinct out, what do I do Mr. Therapist?!'" The wolf chided.

"Hey, hey!" Wade leaned in, gesturing for his brother to quiet down. "I wasn't saying there's anything wrong with it." Wade cleared his throat. "I'm just surprised is all, you never seemed interested in prey before." The wolf dabbed his brow.

"I wasn't." Vernon sighed. "But then she came back into my life, and It just sort of happened. She's it Wade." 

Wade stared at him, confusion on his face. "She's what?" Wade asked.

"She's the one Wade." Vernon chuckled weakly. "She may be prey, and I may be her natural enemy, but she's the one 'mam." 

"Teeth to tails Puppy." Wade muttered in awe.

"And now I might never even get the chance to tell her that, the chance to see if maybe she feels the same, the chance to be together." Vernon's head sank.

"Hell." Wade replied somberly. "I...really didn't realize how serious this all was." Vernon felt his brother's paw begin to pat him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry Vern. I really am."

After that the two fell silent for a while. Vernon simply had continued to stare at the floor as his mind pictured every terrible scenario involving the doctor coming out of the intensive care unit and telling the wolf the five words he couldn't bear to hear. 'There's nothing we could do.' 

When the doctor finally entered the waiting room after what seemed like eons, Vernon nearly tripped over his chair in the mad rush to get to him. 

"IS SHE OKAY!?" The wolf clasped the old goat, shaking him vigorously.

"EASY, EASY MR. HUNTER!" The doctor replied, gently clasping the wolfs wrists and pulling his paws away.

"She's stable." The caprid said in a serious tone. "We nearly lost her a few times, but she managed to pull through." 

"CAN I SEE HER!?" Vernon yelped.

"Easy Vern, take it down a notch." Wade had now placed a paw on his shoulder.

The doctor cleared his throat. "Before you do, I need to explain the situation."

Vernon stared at the old, snow white billy in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid Ms. Bellwether is a coma." The goat sighed, placing a hoof to his temple. "Much like the other cases of toxic night howler exposure, she's become completely un-responsive."

"D-does that mean...? Vernon trailed off, his lip quivering in fear.

"Well, unfortunately a high percentage of those who fall into a night howler coma tend to eventually succumb to heart failure, the constant flow of adrenalin from when they were exposed proves to be too much of strain. Ms. Bellwether was exposed to a lethal level of night howler toxin, it's a wonder we were able to stabilize her at all." The goat shook his head.

"B-but there's a chance? Please tell me-"

The old goat held up a hoof. "As I said Mr. Hunter, it's a wonder we were able to stabilizer her. But she is alive now, and there is a chance she could come out of the coma fine, however small that may be." 

"So what now?" Wade chimed in.

"Well, I recommend spending as much time with her as you can Mr. Hunter." The caprid adjusted his glasses. "Many believe that having a close friend or relative around a comatose patient can help bring them out of it. I can't really say for certain, but at least if she doesn't wake up you'll be with her till..." The goat coughed awkwardly, and his eyes shifted uneasily before he regained his composure.

"Anyway, I'll walk you to the room. Follow me Mr. Hunter." The doctor said, turning from the pair and back toward the infirmary doors.

Vernon did his best to dutifully follow the doctor despite the urge to run surging through his body. The wait had been unbearable, and now that he was so close to seeing her the wolf found it almost impossible to suppress the need to charge down the hall to her side and shave off the remaining agonizing seconds. Luckily the trip had proved shorter than he had expected, the ewe had only been three doors down from the entryway. 

Vernon couldn't help but let out a horrified gasp when he first laid eyes on the ewe. The lamb had cables running all over her. Heart monitor leads, an I.V. drip, several other devices that the wolf couldn't make heads or tails of, and topped off with a breathing mask strapped to her muzzle. Vernon began to silently cry as he made his way over to her bedside. To him, the ewe looked even smaller than usual, and so frail. As he sat down he grasped her hoof tightly, tears still streaming from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled. "I'm so, so sorry Floofs." 

The rest of the night became a blur to Vernon. The only thing he could remember was that he hadn't moved at all after sitting down. At some point the doctor left, followed soon after by Wade. He was sure he had said goodbye to his brother, hadn't he? After that he simply continued to watched the slumbering ewe, his tears still streaming until at some point he finally passed out from exhaustion.

Vernon let out another sigh as he watched Dawn sleep, gently petting the hoof he had been clutching earlier. At the very least the sleep had cleared his head somewhat, a great deal of the tension washed away no matter how uncomfortable the sleep was. The rams threatening Dawn, the night howler, that was all over and done with, and the only thing left to worry about was the lamb's recovery. Vernon raised a paw to Dawn's face, gently caressing the side of her cheek.

"I'm here Dawn." He muttered. "You take all the time you need to recover. I'll be here the whole time." Vernon's voice trembled.

"Mr. Hunter?" The voice drew the wolf's attention to the door where a small lamb now stood. The ewe looked at Vernon with curious eyes. The lime green orbs that shown through her oversized cats eye lenses were hauntingly similar to Dawn's own. The sheep was on the smaller side, although still larger than Dawn with more of an off white color to her fleece. She was clad in a series of deep rose colored apparel. A dark dress jacket, with a frilly light pink blouse underneath and a deep brandy wine colored dress skirt. Though the most notable part of her outfit were the little green clover cufflinks, the bright green contrasting sharply against the rose colored clothing. Her voice alone told the wolf she was an older ewe, perhaps just edging into her sixties. The ewe looked far too much like Dawn to be a mere coincidence, leaving little doubt in the wolf' as to the lamb's identity.

"M-Mrs. Bellwether?" Vernon stared at the ewe in surprise, choking slightly on his words.

"Y-you" The ewe twisted a hoof. "You can call me Clover."

An awkward silence passed between the two, the entire time the lamb remained in the doorway as if she were awaiting permission to enter.

"I-u-uh." Vernon scratched his head. Quickly grasping another nearby chair, the wolf pulled it along side his own. "P-please come in, sit down." The wolf stuttered, patting the empty seat with his paw.

Slowly the small ewe made her way over to the bedside, and with help from Vernon, managed to get her way up onto the chair. She sat there silently staring at her daughter, her face morose and sullen. Vernon couldn't think of anything to say, the appearance of the ewe had stunned him into silence. Instead, the wolf simply stared back at Dawn. 

The two silently sat for a while before Vernon managed to build the courage to speak.

"H-how..." Vernon muttered. "How long were you standing there?" The wolf asked.

"L-long enough..." the ewe fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. Vernon sighed in response.

"Y-you know who I am?" Vernon stuttered.

"Of course I do. Vernon, c-correct?" Clover stated.

"How?" Vernon turned to look at the little sheep. She shrunk in response to the sudden attention.

"I-I first learned about you from Dawn when she was little, on that day she came home with the bracelet." Clover sighed.

"I knew your father growing up, before Aster I mean." The lamb looked down. "Also your father was often the officer on duty who had to respond to the domestic disturbances at my home, so I never forgot the name 'Hunter'."

"B-but now? How could you know I was around Dawn now? Aster didn't recognize me." The wolf replied.

"Aster could barely remember anything about anything." The ewe sighed. "He mentioned your name last week during one of his drunken stupors."

"He did?" Vernon asked.

The little ewe adjusted her glasses, puffing her chest in an attempt to seem larger. "D-dumb filthy wolf Vernon Hunter!" The sheep pantomimed a drunken swagger. "I'll show Dawn what you really are!" The ewe let the air out abruptly, causing her to slouch. "That was more of less what I heard, s-save for the slurring." She concluded, re-adjusting her lenses.

The wolf leaned forward onto Dawn's bed, his eyes watching the heart monitor as he rubbed his temples.

"D-did you know? About Ast-"

"Oh heavens no!" The ewe pleaded. "O-outside of our family I always assumed my husband was all talk. I-I had no idea what he was doing." The ewe let out a disappointed sigh. 

The wolf glanced at Clover again. The lamb had now taken a similar position to his own, leaning her arms on Dawn's bed.

"My h-husband drinks a lot." She muttered. 

"I've heard." Vernon grumbled, cutting the ewe off. Clover seemed to shrink for a moment before continuing.

W-well-" She stuttered. "D-drinking tended to k-keep him out of the house, so it just seemed normal t-to me. I didn't really think about it when h-he started staying out l-longer." She chuckled weakly. "In fact it was a relief." The small ewe idly rubbed her arm.

The ewe looked at the wolf with sad eyes, before staring back down at the bed sheet. She remained silent for a while, the steady sound of the heart monitor permeating through the room.

"Why..." Vernon broke the awkward silence.

The ewe glanced back at Vernon. Tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"W-why didn't I contact Dawn?" The ewe stuttered.

Vernon simply nodded, it was a question he had wanted to know for a long time. Even before all of this mess, before he had come back into her life, why did Clover shut Dawn out? Aster he understood, but based on what Dawn had told the wolf Clover had seemed to be kind. Was she really just that meek that she couldn't stand to the domineering ram?

The ewe twiddled her hooves awkwardly.

"W-would you believe me if I said it was to keep her safe?" Clover muttered.

Vernon didn't respond, he simply continued to stare at Dawn.

"I-I suppose not." She sighed. "To be honest, I was a terrible parent." The ewe began to sniffle.

"I-I let Aster walk a-all over me, and then Dawn. I didn't do a-anything to help her growing up. I-" The ewe whimpered. "I w-was too weak."

Vernon turned to look at Clover. The little ewe looked pitiful, and the wolf's irritation faded immediately as he watched her start to shudder. Vernon leaned in closer to the ewe, placing a paw on her shoulder.

"I w-was so happy when Dawn left home." She chuckled weakly. "It's shameful isn't? T-to be glad when your child leaves home." She looked Vernon in the eyes, tears steadily streaming from her own.

"But I knew she was safer out there. S-she's always been so much stronger than I was, and outside of our little hell hole of a home I knew she would f-flourish." The ewe placed her head in her hooves.

"But she was still living my husband's dream, his desperate need to prove his worth to his Father had spilled over into her, a-and t-then..." The ewe began to sob.

Vernon gently pat the ewe's back.

"M-maybe it was fear." Clover turned back the face Vernon. "A-aster made his decree a-after Dawn was arrested that I w-wasn't allowed to speak to her." The lamb's sobs turned to chokes. "I-I had thought a-about s-seeing her in se-ecret b-b..."

"Easy Clover." Vernon cooed. 

The lamb sniffled hard, doing her best to stifle her sobs.

"S-sorry." She sniffled, letting out a cough before continuing.

"I thought about s-seeing her in secret, but if Aster had found out I would have most likely ended up in the hospital." Clover wiped her eyes.

"But another part of me was ashamed." The lamb sighed. " M-my inability to l-let go of who Aster was threatened my daughters future, I stood b-by and let him ruin who she was."

"Worst of all, when she got out of prison she m-might have ended up back home. Back u-under Aster's hoof. I-I-" The ewe looked down. "I -c-couldn't allow that to be an o-option, for Dawn's sake."

"So that's why you decided to go along with shutting her out?" Vernon asked.

The ewe nodded weakly in reply.

"I hadn't even known A-aster was keeping tabs on Dawn until l-last week." The ewe rubbed her temples. "I h-had no idea what he was up t-too. I could only pray that y-you would protect her if he m-meant anything by his drunken rant." The lamb sighed.

"M-me?" Vernon sputtered. "What made you think I could protect her."

Clover stared back at Vernon, her eyes glassy with tears. Despite her apparent sadness, the ewe managed to give a weak smile.

"I knew your Father Vernon, he was a good mammal. We were rather close before I met Aster." The lamb's smile widened as she seemed to recall Dorian.

"Wait, you don't mean to say that you and my Father were sort of..." The wolf trailed off, his mind unable to fathom his Father being with a prey mammal.

Clover simply laughed. "Oh heavens no Vernon, we weren't an item." She flicked her hoof as if to shake off the very notion. "But we grew up in the same neighborhood, and he was very kind to me." The lamb let off a wistful sigh. 

"Dorian was a lot like Dawn had described you to me when she was little. Energetic, friendly, and a strong sense of right and wrong. He always stood up for the smaller mammals." Clover smiled broadly.

"But our families found out about it, and broke it up." The smile melted away, slinking into a deep frown. "From then on, my family staunchly enforced against fraternizing with predators, and I fell quickly into that powerless roll I've become so used to." She sniffled hard, stifling another sob.

"But your Father never changed." The smile returned to her muzzle. "He never let society or his family change who he was. All those times he came over to arrest Aster for abusing me or Dawn, he was still the same kind, friendly, and caring mammal I had known for years before." The lamb let out another wistful sigh.

"I should have listened to your Father years ago. I should have pressed charges, took Dawn and left the bastard." The ewe chuckled weakly. "But love makes us do stupid things sometimes. And I really loved that ram..." Clover trailed off. "Well...who he used to be."

"But I'm not exactly my Father." Vernon stated, running a paw over his scalp.

"Please, you Hunter boys are all good. " The ewe pat the wolf on the knee. " I don't think Dorian could bring up a bad pup if he tried. I knew you would protect my daughter, just like you had when she was little."

Vernon sighed. The wolf placed his arms back on the bed, placing his head in his paws.

"B-but." The wolf began to sniffle. "I didn't C-clover. I d-didn't protect her." He sobbed, waiving his paw at the unconscious ewe. "Look at h-her."

Vernon felt Clover's hoof on his back. The ewe began to gently rub in an effort to comfort the wolf.

"My daughter is strong Vernon, very strong." The ewe smiled at the wolf. "I know she'll make it through this."

Vernon simply shook his head.

"And you are here giving her all of your strength." Clover continued to comfort the wolf. "The nurses tell me you haven't even left my daughters side since they let you in here."

"I don-"

"Shhhhh." The lamb placed a hoof to the wolf's lips. "If you are doting over her this much, I can't even begin to imagine what you've done for her over these last few days. Hell, even these last few months." Clover smiled.

"T-the nurses told y-you we?" Vernon looked down at the floor, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"It said on the paperwork you were her roommate now?" The ewe flashed the wolf a knowing smile.

"I-I uh" Vernon looked away shamefully. He wasn't sure what to expect from the lamb in regards to his feelings for her daughter. "I mean, do you have a problem with-?"

"No, No." The lamb's eyes were starting to tear again, but despite it she smiled. "Unless you were in love with her, then we'd really have a problem."

Vernon's heart leapt into his throat as the room fell silent. He simply stared at the lamb, clenching his teeth as sweat began to form on his brow. Clover suddenly broke the silence with a loud laugh.

"I'm kidding Vernon, I'm kidding." The lamb laughed. "I never shared my husband's colorful opinion of predator, as far as I'm concerned whoever makes my daughter happy makes me happy." 

Vernon let out a sharp sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with a paw before leaning back on the bed. The wolf turned his stare back to the sleeping Dawn.

"I do Mrs. Bellwether, I love her." Vernon sighed.

"Well it's a good thing I brought this then." The ewe suddenly took Vernon's paw. Vernon stared in confusion as the lamb wrenched his paw open and slipped something inside. Clasping his paw shut again, she shoved it back toward the wolf. Vernon slowly opened his paw to reveal a familiar bracelet, one he hadn't seen since he was little. The letters on the cubes were chipped in places, but still quite readable.

"P-puppy's best friend?" Vernon sniffled, staring at the lamb in disbelief. "H-how? Dawn said-"

"Yes, Aster did destroy it." The lamb adjusted her glasses. "And who do you think had to clean it up when we got home from the hospital?"

"I-I...This is..." Vernon couldn't find the words. His mind simply reeled at the fact that the bracelet still existed.

"He only damaged the twine, so it was fairly easy to fix." The ewe smiled. "I had to hide it for many years, but now I can finally give it back to my daughter."

Vernon nodded dumbly. With nothing to add, the wolf gently raised Dawn's hoof and slid the bracelet on. Gently placing her hoof back down, he patted the bracelet gently before clasping his paw back around her hoof.

"I-I can't even beg-"

"Don't thank me for anything." Clover shook her head. "If anything I need to apologize for what my husband has done to you both. I can never truly make up for it, but at least maybe that will help in some way?" The ewe looked at Vernon with pleading eyes.

Vernon nodded softly, smiling at the sleeping Dawn. "I'm s-sure it would mean a lot to her Clover."

"I hope..." The ewe said sadly.

Clover slowly eased off the chair, brushing her dress off as she stood.

"Wait, are you-"

"I-" The ewe turned back to Vernon, her head dipping in shame. "I-I've intruded long enough." Clover rubbed her arm awkwardly. 

"Besides, I still have to go identify my husband's body." 

Vernon stared at Clover in disbelief. "Y-you mean the night howl-"

"No, not quite." The ewe mumbled "He suffered a 'subdural hematoma', apparently from repeatedly ramming other mammals in a blind rage. "

Vernon resisted the urge to mutter the word 'good' more to respect Clover than anything else. The ewe turned and began to walk toward the door.

"When Dawn wakes up, j-just..." He could hear the ewe sniffling. "tell her how sorry I am. If she wants to see me after that...it's up to her. But I'll understand if she doesn't want too." The ewe rounded the doorframe.

"Mrs. Bellwether!" Vernon called out.

The ewe turned to look at Vernon one more time.

"And thank you Vernon, I know you'll give my daughter the life she deserves."

And with that, Clover Bellwether disappeared into the hospitals halls. Vernon's stare lingered on the door for quite some time before his attention drifted back to the comatose Dawn. Vernon grit his teeth, squeezing the ewe's hoof gently.

"I will Clover." Vernon murmured. "I will."


	25. Police Confessional

"Jeeze big fella, you look like hell!" Nick bellowed as the wolf came into view. It was clear to the fox that the wolf had barely left the Dawn's bedside in the two days since she had been admitted. Vernon's fur was sticking up in various spots, and the wolf's tired eyes had more broken blood vessels then roads on a map of the Zootopia transit system.

Vernon just grunted at the fox, his brow furrowed in annoyance. Nick in turn raised his paws defensively.

"Hey, hey, relax Vernon. I'm not here to get your hackles up, Carrots and I came to check up on the both of you." The fox stated as he sauntered over to the wolf's side.

Nick helped himself to the vacant seat next to Vernon as the wolf continued to stare at the lamb.

"Where's Hopps?" Vernon muttered. 

"She's getting coffee for the three of us, and it looks like you definitely need it." The fox gave Vernon a pat on the pack. The wolf turned to look at Nick, eyeing him strangely.

"Is that how you dress on your days off?" Vernon chuckled weakly.

Nick looked down at his usual green Hawaiian shirt and brown khaki pants, before looking back up at the wolf. He feigned offense, leaning back and placing an arm against his head.

"Your biting fashion commentary has been noted Vernon, I am sufficiently shamed." Nick chuckled.

"Looks like wallpaper." Vernon snickered.

"I get enough of that from Carrots. I'll have you know it's very comfortable." Nick crossed his arms; Vernon's comment had managed to get under his pelt slightly.

Vernon let out a sigh, Nick watched his eyes drift back to the lamb.

"How are you two holding up?" Vernon asked somberly.

The wolf's comment had thrown him off slightly; he hadn't expected Vernon to care enough about the cops who had been his enemies just days before.

"I-uh." Nick sputtered. "I mean I'm fine. A little stressed from all the reporters but..." Nick scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Judy's been handling it worse than usual. I think she's worried about Dawn." Nick sighed.

"I have to confess, I'm kinda worried too." Nick reluctantly added, leaning in to stare at the ewe.

"So she's been like this since...?" Nick trailed off.

"Since she came in." Vernon sighed. "Same as the other mammals who were over exposed to the night howler, although thankfully in better shape than them.“

“Hmm…” Nick nodded, listening intently to the wolf.

“The doctor’s told me she didn’t have a scratch on her, unlike all the other rams.” Vernon looked back at the fox. “Rams like Aster and Doug had broken bones, and cuts from fighting each other while going savage. But Dawn was in practically pristine shape.” Vernon shook his head dumbly. “That part I can’t make heads or tails of, it was like they were repelled by her or something.”

“I have an idea on that one.” Nick chuckled.

“Hmm?” The wolf stared at Nick dumbly.

“The ZPD officers who were collecting evidence from the factory managed to find my missing canister of fox spray.” As Nick eyed the comatose ewe, a smirk crawled across his muzzle. “It was by that control panel where Dawn was before she released the night howler, and it was completely drained.”

“You mean to say…?” Vernon trailed off.

“I believe she doused herself in fox spray before the gas took full effect in an effort to protect herself.” Nick turned to face the confused looking wolf. “The natural big cat pheromones in the stuff probably put the scare into those rams’ savage brains.” Nick glanced back at the ewe, smirking again. “It was a smart move.”

“D-Dawn’s really smart.” Vernon whimpered. 

“With that, and that double cross fake out, she ended up making me feel like a real amateur.” Nick waived his paw dismissively. “Even I believed her, and I pride myself on being able to read a mammal. It's part of the reason the ZPD made me a detective.”

“B-but you didn’t believe it.” Nick turned to face the wolf. “Not for a second, did you?” Nick eyed the wolf quizzically.

Nick watched to wolf turn back to the sleeping ewe, bringing a paw up to caress her face.

“No.” Vernon whimpered. Gently petting the ewe’s cheek.

“I gotta ask…” Nick shook his head. “How did you know?”

The wolf chuckled weakly as he continued to caress Dawn’s face.

“Good intuition.” Vernon smirked. “It runs in my family.”

Nick simply shook his head and let out a weak chuckle. Placing his paws on his knees Nick let out a sigh. Watching the wolf tend to the sick lamb was a sorry sight. The pain on the wolf’s face left a knot in the pit of his stomach. He knew what was on the wolf’s mind. He could recognize the signs because he had been through it himself when Judy’s life was on the line.

“It’s not your fault Vernon.” Nick said.

The wolf turned to him in surprise, slowly pulling away from the lamb to sit back down. His eyes quickly became glossy as stared at Nick.

“You did everything you could to help her.” Nick continued.

“Yeah…sure I did.” The wolf said bitterness in his voice.

“No Vernon.” Nick’s said in a serious tone. “You nearly killed yourself with that crazy shotgun plan, you did everything short of running into that building to pull her out yourself.” Nick placed a paw on Vernon’s shoulder, keeping his eyes locked on the wolf.

“I-I” Vernon looked down. “I would have run in if I wasn’t at risk of going savage. “ He sighed. “If it only threatened my life, I would have done it without thinking.”

“You do a lot of that don’t you?” Nick chuckled.

Vernon chuckled weakly, his glance turning back to the lamb.

“Still, some good turning off the gas did huh?” The wolf muttered. Vernon leaned his arms on the bed, resting his chin on his paws. "There were twenty mammals in the building you know?"

"I know." Nick replied.

"Taking away the ones that died from fighting to death that left about ten mammals that fell into comas." Vernon sighed. "Eight of them have died since then." 

Nick let out a deep sigh; he knew the odds were against the little sheep. Placing a paw on Vernon's back he patted comfortingly.

"Well she's lasted this long big guy, that's gotta mean something." Nick smiled weakly at the wolf. Vernon simply shook his head, before leaning back and staring at the hospital ceiling.

"You know..." Vernon sighed. "When I was in there, up against that door." The wolf's head dipped, he eyes falling back on Dawn. "I saw her."

Nick cringed, tensing his paws reflexively. He couldn't imagine how hard that must of been on the wolf. Nick still couldn't forget the savage mammals he had seen during his 'unofficial first case'. The bared teeth, the mindless rage burning in their eyes. Their twisted and haunting feral faces still managed to work their way into his nightmares from time to time. But even so, they weren't friends, they weren't loved ones. To feel like the wolf, he would have to imagine Judy under the effects of night howler. Nick shook his head immediately before the image had a chance to conjure itself. Letting out and awkward cough, Nick placed a paw on Vernon's back.

"It's alright big guy." Nick mumbled.

Vernon turned to face Nick again, this time his eyes were tearing.

"She recognized me." Vernon muttered

Nick stared back and Vernon dumbly, his mouth slightly agape. The fox slowly shook his head.

"That can't be Vernon." He responded.

"She did Nick, Something in that..." Vernon shook his head. "...inside her, remembered me. She braced the door to protect us...to protect me."

"Vernon..." Nick couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor wolf. "Trust me, I'd love a whole love conquers all story." Vernon shrunk back into his shoulders, blushing slightly as he turned away from the fox.

"But I've seen..." Nick sighed. " Carrot's told me about Mrs. Otterton." He began to pat Vernon's back. "Her husband was afflicted by night howler during the original case."

Vernon looked back at Nick, his eyes holding a deep sadness.  
"No matter what she tried, Mr. Otterton couldn't recognize her. There wasn't even an inkling of recognition Pups."

"But..."

"Night howler doesn't work that way. There wasn't a single mammal who even remembered what they did under the effects of it. How could sh-"

"But you don't know for sure." Vernon whimpered. 

Nick winced slightly. It was possible, but unlikely. Still arguing the point would only do worse for the wolf's already crippled hope. Ultimately Nick decided it was better to let it go.

"I-I guess..."Nick's eyes shifted uneasily. "I mean...hey I'm no scientist."

Vernon sighed, putting his head back into his paws and leaning over the ewe's cot.

"So, what's happening on the outside? There's no television in this room and I...er..." Vernon ran his paw through the messy tuft of hair on his head. "I haven't exactly been out."

Nick leaned back. Placing his arms behind his head while leaning a foot on Dawn's cot. The fox let out a long sigh. 

"Well, the city isn't destroyed. So that's a plus." Nick chuckled.

Vernon simply groaned in response. The wolf's eyes seem to follow the fox's raised feet before Nick found the wolf's glare squarely on him. The fox winced, lowering his feet sheepishly.

"Oh...uh." Nick mumbled. "Sorry."

The fox coughed awkwardly into his paw. "But I mean it's recovering. The last forty-eight hours were kind of insane. Reporters practically beating down the doors of the station, and Carrot's and my apartment. Then there's the doom-sayers, clamoring that we only staved off the inevitable, and the media was feeding that for a while. I tell ya, I'm starting to miss paperwork." Nick laughed.

"Sweet sawgrass." Vernon muttered.

"But, on the bright side you guys are the heroes of the city. So props to you and old puffs there." Nick gestured to the ewe.

"Heroes?" Vernon turned to the fox, his face twisted in confusion.

"Oh yeah." The fox smirked. "The statements Judes and I gave about how invaluable you two were to preventing a city-wide catastrophe really shook Zootopia up. Especially Fluff's tearful retelling of Dawn's sacrifice. I'm surprised you haven't been hounded by reporters yourself big guy." Nick clapped his paws together.

The wolf looked dumbfounded, remaining silent for a few moments presumably mulling over the information.

"I guess the hospital is really good at keeping reporters out." Vernon muttered.

"It's kind of amazing how quickly the city changed their tune on Bellwether. Before all that mess with factory the city had the torches and pitchforks out for her. Now mammals are talking statues, I'm actually kind of jealous." Nick chuckled deeply.

"You're pulling my leg now Red." Vernon laughed.

"Okay, okay, no statues. But the Mayor's public apology to Bellwether was really touching. You'd have liked it." Nick sighed.

The two fell silent, both observing the small ewe as her chest rose and fell evenly with each breath. Gently the fox leaned over the bed, placing his paw atop her other hoof.

"That was some hustle sweetheart." Nick muttered thoughtfully, patting her hoof.

As Nick slumped back into his seat, the edge of his sight caught Vernon smirking. It was a mischievous smile Nick didn't like the look of, the kind that was reserved for his use only. 

"So, you two live together too huh?" Vernon flashed his teeth.

Nick folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at the wolf.

"Problem with that Puppy?" Nick smirked back.

"Haven't told her yet huh?" Vernon chuckled.

The fox flattened his ears, and he opened his mouth to argue but the words failed to come. Instead he remained silent, his muzzle agape before slowly bringing it to close.

"I didn't realize how alike we were until that night..." Vernon trailed off.

Nick scoffed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know, I'd say I'm devilishly handsome whereas you..." The fox squinted. "Eh, your okay." Nick smirked. "And you don't have my sparkling wit."

Vernon simply chuckled, shaking his head.

"You know..." He sighed. “I wanted to tell her that night. But..." Vernon's head dropped back into his paws. “I never got the chance."

Nick could hear the wolf starting to sniffle, and gently place a paw on his shoulder. 

"N-now" Vernon shuddered. "I m-might never get that chance Nick."

The wolf slowly sat back up, wiping his eyes gently. Vernon turned to face Nick, placing his paws on both of his shoulders.

"If you are thinking of hesitating, don't." Vernon frowned. "Tell her a soon as you can Nick. Don't do what I did." Vernon pulled away, his glance falling back on the ewe. "Don't make my mistake."

Nick swallowed hard. With everything that had happened the desire to tell Judy how he felt had been pushed back down into his mind. After the close call on patrol for the pair in the Rain Forest District he hadn't even had the chance to think about it. Nick turned back to stare at the ewe, and was taken aback at just how small she really appeared now that he was truly looking. She looked so harmless and frail, this from the same mammal who had stood above Judy and himself years ago like a towering mad-mammal. For just a moment, the tod could swear he could see the rabbit in her place, just like the day she had been bit. Nick shuddered at the thought. The wolf was right, Finnick was right. It was time to mark or get off the bush.

"I can't believe you ditched me while I was ordering the coffee!" Nick nearly leapt out of his pelt at the sudden shout.

The fox’s attention snapped to the door to find a particularly agitated bunny holding several hot beverage containers. She tapped her foot irritably.

"C-Carrots!" The fox stuttered. "H-hey now, I was-"

"Don't even Wilde!" The rabbit began to tromp toward him, Nick could see death burning in her eyes.

"I thought you had it!" The fox felt a hard smack against his shoulder as the rabbit socked him. Nick winced, rubbing his arm aggressively to soothe the sting.

"Ouch, jeeze Carrots. I'm trying to lend a comforting ear here, and you come in all guns a blazin' as always." The fox hissed.

"You-! Judy cut herself off, seeming to remember where she was. She quickly glanced over at the haggard looking wolf.

"Oh gosh, Vernon I-I..." The rabbit twisted a foot awkwardly. "I'm so sorry."

The wolf merely raised his paws defensively, shaking his head.

"It's quite alright Judy." The wolf sighed.

Nick flinched as he felt the rabbit clamber her way onto his lap. His wide eyes now locked on the coffee containers that were shimmying wildly as the rabbit climbed.

"E-easy with the c-coffee there Fluff-"

"Oh bite me." Judy hissed.

Finally stable, the rabbit sat down, passing a large coffee cup and several various packets of sweeteners and milk to the large wolf.

"I hope this is okay Vernon, I didn't know what you liked so I just bought you a black coffee and brought a bunch of creams and sugars." The wolf nodded graciously, adding two small packets of sugar to the drink before taking a swig. Nick watched the wolf's muzzle scrunch at the bitterness.

"Yeah, hospital coffee is never the be-"

The fox suddenly found a cup of coffee shoved harshly into his paw.

"And not that you deserve it, but I brought you one too, mixed just how you like. You were lucky, they even had that blue berry creamer you love." The rabbit huffed.

The rabbit eyed the wolf sadly.

"Are you okay Vernon?" Judy asked, the rabbit leaned forward and placed a paw on the wolf’s knee.

"I-" The wolf let out a sigh. "I'm getting by..." 

As the rabbit pulled away Nick felt a sudden jolt travel through the doe’s body.

“Oh gods.” He heard her gasp. It was clear to Nick she had finally noticed the state dawn was in.

“S-she looks so small…” Judy’s voice wavered.

“Carrots…” Nick muttered. With the rabbit’s focus on him, Nick flicked his eyes in the direction of the forlorn wolf, his teeth clenched in an uncomfortable grimace. The rabbit quickly placed her paws over her mouth.

“I-I’m sorry Vernon…I’m so-“

“It’s okay.” The wolf muttered sadly. “I t-thought the same thing when I first saw her here.”

Vernon cleared his throat softly. “I-uh…” He shook his head. “I want to thank you both for coming to check on us on your day off.”

“Oh Vernon please!” Judy whined. “We were worried about you both!”

The wolf leaned on the cot again, eyeing the ewe sadly.

“I-I’m sure it would mean a lot to Dawn too…” The wolf brushed a paw over the poof of wool atop of the lamb's head.

“Vernon?” Nick could feel the rabbit shudder. “D-do you mind if I talk to her? I mean, you know…” The rabbit mumbled.

The wolf gave a somber nod. “I’m not too sure what she can hear. But you’re welcome to try Judy.” 

The rabbit stood on Nick’s lap, motioning for the fox to assist her up on to the bed. Nick used to the standard procedure by now, gave a sigh before lifting the rabbit up onto the side of the cot. Once Judy stabilized herself, she sat back down on the mattress. Nick watched as she reached her paw out toward the ewe’s hoof that was currently wrapped tightly with Vernon’s paw. He saw the mammal’s exchange a glance before Vernon reluctantly pulled his paw away, allowing Judy’s to replace his own.

“D-Dawn…” Judy sighed.

“I don’t know if you can hear me or not…” Nick heard the rabbit let out an audible gulp.

“But…I-I...” Judy shook her head. “I owe you an a-apology.” The rabbit began to sniffle. “Both of you.” The rabbit glanced over at Vernon, tears clearly welling in her eyes.

“W-what you did four years ago was reprehensible. I won’t deny that.” Nick could see Judy’s ears droop. “B-but it was no excuse for how I treated you.”

“I’m an officer of the law, sworn to protect every mammal in Zootopia.” Judy’s voice was firm, but faltering. “It’s my duty to treat every mammal who walks the streets equally, to do my job without letting personal bias get in the w-way.” Her voice began to falter.

“The Zootopian legal system labeled you f-fit to return to society, a-and I…” The rabbit whimpered. “I couldn’t a-accept that. Not after what you did to me.”

“Judy…” Nick muttered thoughtfully. The rabbit glanced at him briefly, and in that flash he could see the tears streaming down her face.

“I-I didn’t even give you a chance.” Judy shook her head. “You w-were guilty until proven i-innocent in my book. And when those attacks happened at that Bug Burga I was ready to h-have you strung up.” The rabbit choked back a sob.

“I-it was wrong! I-I was wrong!” the rabbit pounded her paw on the bed. “And I-if I hadn’t let my personal f-feelings get in t-the way again m-maybe-”

The rabbit crumpled against the mattress, now laying aside the ewe. “M-maybe you wouldn’t b-be here right now... like this.” She sobbed.

“It d-didn’t matter whether we c-could ever be friends or n-not. I shouldn’t h-have treated you t-that way…and…” Nick could see Judy shivering now. “I’m so s-s-sorry.”

Nick stood up, gently handing his coffee off the Vernon before scooping his partner into his arms. Taking his seat again, the fox simply hugged his weeping partner.

“There, there Carrots.” Nick rubbed her back gently. Nick glanced over at Vernon who had returned his paw to it’s resting place on Dawn’s hoof. The wolf gave a simple, thankful nod.

“M-maybe if she pulls through…w-we could still try.” Judy was trying to stifle her sobs. “Put it all b-behind us and be friends again.”

“I’m sure she’d like that Judy.” Vernon stated as he gently rubbed the ewe’s hoof.

“Yeah Judes, I’m sure she’d be more than happy to when she comes to.” Nick added.

The weeping rabbit looked up at the fox, her eyes wide with a few stray tears still making their way down her fur. The doe sniffed hard, wiping her eyes aggressively. Nick merely smirked down at her, earning him a slight glare.

“D-don’t say it Nick.” The rabbit smirked through her tears.

Nick held his paws up defensively. “What? I wasn’t going to say anything.” The fox rolled his eyes, bringing his paw across his muzzle pretending to zip it shut.

Judy tuned around to face Vernon, still doing her best to calm down as she spoke.

“I’m sorry Vernon, I didn’t m-mean to make a big s-scene.” Judy gave a slight pant as she tried to compose herself. “ I-it’s probably just makes it harder on you.”

The wolf gently shook his head. “Miss Hopps, believe me that was nothing compared to how I’ve been acting these past few days.” Vernon sighed. “I probably wept enough to fill a lake up by now.”

“You need to get out of here for a while Vernon.” Nick stated bluntly. “Have you even eaten today?”

“No, no.” The wolf shook his head. “I need to stay, I can’t leave Dawn-“

“No!” Judy interjected. “ Come to lunch with us, please Vernon.” 

Nick rolled his eyes as the wolf continued to stammer out excuses while Judy in turn continued to insist. For every reason the rabbit presented for why the wolf should go, he had several reasons to stay. Nick reached his limit rather quickly.

“Look Vernon, it’ll be ten minutes tops. Well go right across the street.” Nick groaned. “You need some fresh air; you won’t be doing Dawn any favors if they have to hospitalize you too.” 

Vernon tried to argue, but his reasons fell away into quiet and incomplete stammers. He glanced back at the ewe with sad eyes.

“I-I guess I should…” The wolf mumbled.

Vernon rose to his feet, staggering a bit as his legs seemingly tried to remember how to stand. The wolf started to walk toward the exit door before Nick felt the need to stop him.

“Uh, big fella?” 

“Yeah?” The wolf turned back toward the seated officers, stumbling slightly.

“Maybe hit the bathroom to freshen up first? You look like a homeless mammal.” Nick snickered.

The fox watched as the wolf clasped his hair. Raising an arm, Vernon to a whiff of the air around his pit only to recoil in disgust. His muzzle scrunched at the pervasive odor that the fox had been generous enough not to bring up earlier.

“Y-yeah, yeah. I’ve really let myself go huh?” The wolf replied.

“I’ll head to the bathroom and meet you both back here.” The wolf pointed a thumb at the hall before turning to leave again. Vernon continued to stagger until he finally disappeared into the hallway.

With the wolf gone, the fox turned his attention back to the comatose ewe. Her chest still rising and falling at an even pace. She had to pull through, he thought to himself. Not just for her sake, but for Vernon’s as well.

“He really loves her, doesn’t he?” 

The sudden question caught Nick off guard, causing the fox to furrow his brow .

“Hmm?” Nick asked the rabbit sitting on his lap.

“Vernon loves Dawn doesn’t he?” Judy asked.

“Oh yeah, big time.” Nick chuckled.

Nick could feel the rabbit tense up slightly, before letting out an almost wistful sigh.

“You know…” Judy muttered. “That’s really beautiful. A predator loving a prey that deeply. It’s like the ultimate expression of what Zootopia strives to be.”

Nick felt his heart rising in his throat, and swallowed hard in an effort to keep from gagging. It was time to do what Finnick had said, what Vernon had said. The fox couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. It was either now or never.

“He’s…” Nick coughed awkwardly. “not the only one Carrots.

Nick felt the rabbit’s ears strike against his muzzle, causing him flinch. He pulled his head back slightly as the rabbit turned to face him. Her eyes were wide and gleaming, and her ears were pointed and alert.

“W-what?” She stammered.

The fox couldn’t look at her, if he was going to get through this he couldn't look into those brilliant purple eyes. Nick tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling.

“Carr-“ Nick coughed. “Judy…” He sighed. “I-I love you.”

The only sounds the fox could hear was the steady beat of Dawn’s heart monitor, and the much more rapid beat of his own heart.

“I-I have for a while now.” His voice wavered. “M-maybe even since we first met.”

Nick was counting the dots on the ceiling trying his best to not face the doe as he continued. He was going to get through this.

“I love your enthusiasm, your unbridled optimism, your drive.” He continued. “Your silly Bunnyburrow curse words, the way you sleep at night, the way you smell.” Nick whimpered. “The way my name sounds when you say it. I-I love it all Judy.”

He rolled his eyes, catching the hospital windows from the edge of his sight. The sun gleamed across the frozen skyscrapers of the District, causing the fox to wince.

“I d-don’t want to ruin things.” Nick sputtered. “You’re my best friend, and there is no other mammal I’d want to be around Judes.” He gulped hard. “But I had to say it.”

Letting out a sigh, the fox closed his eyes hard, awaiting the painful blow he was sure was coming. “And if you don’t feel the same way I unders-“

The fox felt Judy’s paws clasp the sides of his face, and suddenly in ones swift motion he found his lips press against hers. His eyes flew open in shock, staring at the beautiful doe pressed against him. Tears were streaming out of the corners of her closed eyes. Nick closed his eyes again, basking in the exquisite bliss of the kiss. It felt like electricity was surging up and down the fox’s body, followed by the loveliest warmth he had ever felt in his life. It was everything he imagined it would be and more.

After what felt like an eternity lost in the utopia of Judy’s lips, she broke the kiss much to Nick’s disappointment. The rabbit wrapped her arms around the fox, burying her face into his chest.

“O-oh Nick!” She cried. “I-I’m so glad you f-feel the same way.”

Nick’s heart practically burst from his chest after hearing those words. Confirmation of everyone else’s long held suspicions filling the fox with a wave of relief and elation. He felt practically intoxicated under the rush of endorphins swimming around his head.

“I-I’ve wanted to tell you for so long b-but-“ Judy sobbed, rubbing her face into his chest. “I was so scared.”

“Me too Carrots…” Nick smiled down at his love. “Me too.”

Judy looked up at him again, her eyes sparkling with tears and her smile beaming.

“I love you Nick.” She whimpered.

And with that their lips met again, this time more forcefully. Nick wrapped his paws around her waist and drew her deep into him. Despite the feeling of air in his lungs, it felt as though Judy had knocked the wind out of him. Every hair on his body stood on end as another wave of pleasure washed over him. It was shorter then the last kiss, but just as sweet. Nick stared into Judy’s piercing amethyst eyes with a half lidded amorous gaze.

“I love you Judith Laverne Hopps.” The fox whispered, wiping the tears from Judy’s eyes.

“I love you Nicholas Piberious Wilde.” The rabbit sighed before burying her face into his chest again. Nick simply held her close, letting out a contented sigh of his own.

It was then that fox noticed Vernon, The less shabby looking wolf had returned at some point, and was simply standing in the doorframe with a knowing grin.

Nick flashed the wolf a smirk.


	26. The Death of a Dream

It was the pit, why was it always the pit? Was Dawn destined to always be drawn back to this place? The ewe once again found herself trapped amidst the same stone walls and reinforced display windows, the same fake ferns and soil, and the same plastic primitive mammals. The only thing that had been any different this time around was how long the ewe had been here. It had felt like days, maybe even weeks the sheep had been trapped inside the display. Even her ghastly counterpart had yet to show it's face, leaving the ewe utterly alone inside the diorama.

Well, not truly alone. Dawn could hear voices sometimes. Distant echoes that were hard to make out, as if she were outside some sort of concert hall. Occasionally the ewe could catch some word, and even recognize some of the voices.

Vernon's was the first she had recognized fairly early on. Dawn had jumped to attention when she first recognized it, calling out and pleading for the wolf's help. But the wolf's voice continued to drone on, clearly unable to hear the lamb's calls.

".... Get through this Dawn, ..... you can." 

"Get through what Vernon!? Puppy!" The lamb shouted, but received no reply.

Eventually the voice faded away again, and the ewe sat back down. Dawn brought her legs up against her, wrapping her arms around them and gently rocking herself.

More voices came as the ewe languished in the miserable pit.

" ....Tell her how sorry I am..." It sounded like her mother's voice. " ...Give my daughter the life she deserves..." The lamb shook her head at that one, it couldn't be her after all this time.

"That was some hustle sweetheart." That was undoubtedly Nick's voice. 

'What was he talking about, what hustle?' Dawn thought to herself.

“I don’t know if you can hear me or not…” Now she was hearing Judy's voice. “I-it was wrong! I-I was wrong!” She could hear the rabbit cry.

"Judy!" The lamb yelled back. "I'm here! I can hear you!" Dawn clambered to her feet again, shouting up at the edge of the exhibit.

“M-maybe you wouldn’t b-be here right now... like this" Judy's voice continued to sob.

With each new snippet of voices the lamb found herself more and more confused. Each voice had been talking to Dawn, but more so at her. Her dreams of this place had never been so strange and lengthy before.

"...we c-could ever be friends or n-not." The rabbit continued. The ewe stood on a single hoof, pointing her ear up as best as she could toward the source of the rabbit's cry, but still could only make out only bits a pieces.

"…w-we could still try.”

The voices went on from there, mostly from Vernon. But the lamb was now lost in her own mind. She sat herself back down and began to try to make sense of everything. Try as she might, Dawn could recall very little of what happened before ending up here. The last she could remember was leaving the apartment with Vernon to go to work and how late they were. She knew there was more, so much more, but no matter how hard she tried her mind continued to come up blank save for one terrifyingly familiar pair of words.

"Night howler." A familiar guttural voice hissed. 

Dawn shot to her feet, scanning around the display in a panic for the monster she hated to face. The ewe began to pace around the diorama, knocking over the plastic ancient deer in her search for the beast, yet nothing appeared.

"W-where are you?" Dawn stuttered. She knew if there was any voice that would reply to her, it would be its.

"I'm here. I've never left Dawn..." The voice cooed.

"Then s-show yourself!" Dawn stood firm, despite her wavering voice. If this was how she was meant to die, then she'd rather make it a quick death.

“I’m behind you” The voice rasped.

Dawn turned sharply, holding her hooves up in defense as she awaited the oncoming strike. But it never came, and as Dawn slowly lowered her hooves she could see why.

In the center of the pit the beast sat, but it had changed somewhat. It seemed smaller to the ewe, its fur was more managed and it lacked the sinister steam that often flowed from its maw. It simply stared at the ewe, its eyes lacking that burning hatred that they had featured before. Slowly, it motioned one of its hooves at the ewe, gesturing for her to approach.  
Dawn stood stock still, still afraid of the strange, albeit different looking creature seated before her. It seemed to notice, and let out a weak chuckle in response.

“Come now Dawn.” It grinned weakly. “Despite what I’ve told you before, I won’t bite.”

Dawn gulped hard. Slowly and cautiously she began to move toward the now sluggish beast. The creature kept her in its steady gaze, but did little to move as the ewe approached. Despite the fear, Dawn managed to make it to just a few feet away from the monster before coming to a stop. The beast, seemingly satisfied, motioned for the ewe to sit. Dawn eyed the creature curiously, before reluctantly taking a seat on the floor.

“We need to talk about why you’re here now Dawn.” The beast said in a calm voice.

“W-what?” Dawn stuttered. “Y-you want to talk?” The ewe asked in confusion.

The creature gave a slow and tired nod.

“This is not a dream, not this time.” The creature gave an uncomfortable grunt. “I need you to remember what happened, so you know why we're here now.”

“B-but-“The ewe sputtered. “I can’t remember, I can’t remember anything short of leaving the apartment.”

“Night howler Dawn.” The twisted reflection hissed. “Remember the night howler.”

Dawn shook her head aggressively. “No, I won’t go back there.” The ewe crossed her arms. “I’m not the mammal I was fou-“

The creature brought its face close, staring deep into the ewe’s eyes. There was a severity in its stare.

“Dawn!” It growled. “That’s not what I mean.”

“Oh really!?” Dawn felt a sudden surge of bravery run through her, and quickly rose to her feet. “What else could it be!?” Dawn started to seethe. “ I know you!” The stabbed a hoof at the beast. “The one who keeps telling me to embrace being a monster! That my family had it right wanting to wipe out every predator in Zootopia! Why should I even listen to you!?” The ewe spat.

The beast simply remained quiet as the ewe continued to rant.

“I am no monster! I won’t be one! I refuse!” Dawn snarled.

A silence passed between the two mammals, Dawn panting as she recovered from her heated statements.

Slowly, a smile came to the creatures face, not one of malice or hatred, but simple pleasure.

“Dawn…” The creature chuckled. “You already were…”

Dawn was taken aback by the creature’s words.

“W-what…what do you?” In that instant, it all came flooding back to the ewe. The attack at the Bug Burga, the police chase, the rams, getting thrown over the falls, getting captured, and finally…

“T-the night howler…” Dawn mumbled. “I-I…”

“You embraced me.” The creature sighed. “You let go of your fear and let me out.”

“D-did I-?” Dawn stuttered nervously.

“You didn’t hurt a single mammal Dawn. Not one.” It wheezed.

“B-but how? You’re…” Dawn stuttered.

“A mindless beast?” The creature hissed.

Dawn gulped, nodding slowly at the creature.

“Dawn, I am not some manifestation of your guilt, I’m just another part of you. The part of you you’ve suppressed since you were a little lamb.” The beast sighed. “I am something that all mammal’s have inside of them, whether predator or prey. I am your anger, your self doubt, your animalistic tendencies, your inner strength. I am natural, even if I haven’t looked the part for some time.” The beast groaned.

“I-I don’t understand.” Dawn sat back down, looking at the creature in confusion.

“Dawn, you’ve lived your whole life refusing to stand up for yourself. You bottled up your hatred, your anger, pushed it deep inside. You denied instinctual urges as something beneath you, and eventually all that loathing and self doubt caused you to play right into that plan."

Dawn was stunned into speechlessness by the creatures words.

"Therapy didn't help you Dawn. You just went right back to burying it, now more afraid then ever to even raise your voice because of what you did the last time. You only set yourself on the same path of destruction." The beast chuckled.

"If it wasn't for that wolf, who knows where you'd be." The creature wheezed.

"Wait!" Dawn struggled back to her feet. "Y-you told me..."The lamb stammered. "You told me it was my fault! N-nobody held my hooves to make me hurt those predators. That I wanted to do it! Y-you said I was right about predators!" The ewe stabbed a hoof at the beast again. "You told me to accept my families legacy!"

The beast let out a tired sigh. "It was ultimately you who chose to go along with Doug Dawn. All those years of not standing up for yourself made it seem like Doug's plan was the only way to get revenge on all the injustices done to you. But you weren't standing for yourself, you were standing up for someone else's flawed ideology. One you had beaten and fed into you since childhood. Even then you were more so looking for approval by Doug, by your Father, weren't you?"

Dawn was trembling now. The more things made sense, the less she could understand what was happening. The creature, once a seemingly mindless, enraged beast now spoke to her as it were a sage. 

"B-but you s-said." Her lip quivered.

"I said you had to accept it Dawn. Accept who you were, what you did." The beast hissed. "I never said you had to stay that way."

Dawn slumped back down on the floor, holding her arms as she began to shudder.

"I threw back at you what you didn't want to hear, so that you would fight. So that you would embrace me and stand up for yourself. And what you did, to Doug, to your Father, it has finally put me at ease." The creature sighed. "You stood up for yourself, for what you believed and those you loved against the ones who deserved it most. You did the right thing Dawn."

The ewe began to sniffle slightly. wiping the beginnings of tears from her eyes.

"I had too..." She sobbed. "For everybody. Judy, Nick.."

"Vernon." The beast cooed.

Dawn nodded softly.

"Just because you are small doesn't mean you can't be strong Dawn, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself."

Dawn continued to nod, still sniffling slightly.

"Y-you said this wasn't a dream." Dawn stuttered. "So are we-I mean am I..."

The creature let out a deep sigh.

"You aren't dead Dawn." The creature glanced up at the edge of the pit. "You are near it though, on the edge of life."

Dawn looked at the creature, it's eyes looked surprisingly sad.

"I-I'm dying?" She sputtered.

The beast merely nodded in response.

"I-I don't want to die! I c-can't! I want...I want-"

"My Puppy?" Another voice carried across the chamber. Dawn turned her head, following the sound of the voice to a small and familiar form. Standing just a few feet from the pair was another Dawn, the little ewe from years ago. She clutched her friendship bracelet tightly. Dawn began to tear up, falling to her knees as the child walked up to her.

"Have you seen Puppy ma'am?" The little ewe asked, eyes wide as saucers.

Dawn turned to look back at her beastly self, only to find it had disappeared.

"He's really nice!" The little lamb continued, drawing Dawn's attention back on her.

"He's my best friend see!" The ewe extended her arm, flashing Dawn the familiar bracelet.

Tears continued to flow as Dawn read the words.

"P-puppy's best friend." She whimpered.

"Yup!" The little Dawn smiled broadly. "We promised to always be friends!"

Dawn simply nodded, a sob escaping her throat. The little ewe seemed to notice, staring at the older lamb quizzically.

"M-ma'am, why are you crying?" The little lamb twisted a foot.

"Oh..." Dawn sniffled..."I-I have a friend just like yours." 

"Really!?" The little lamb beamed. "Where is he?" The lamb looked around the diorama briefly.

"H-he's not here sweetie." Dawn choked. "A-and I don't think I'm even going to see him again."

The little lamb looked at her sadly. "W-why?"

Dawn looked down at the floor, tears still streaming. "Because I-I'm stuck here, and we can't get t-to each other sweetie."

"O-oh..." The little lamb sighed. 

Dawn's younger self took a seat in front of the ewe, beginning to idly play with her bracelet as she seemed to be thinking hard.

"I-I understand." The little ewe whimpered. "My Daddy d-doesn't want me to see Puppy." The ewe jutted out her bracelet arm at the older Dawn.

"H-he even hurt my arm real bad." The little ewe whimpered.

"I-I'm not strong enough to get away." The little ewe sniffled. "So it's hard to see Puppy now.."

Dawn looked the little ewe in her equally sad eyes.

"B-but one day I'll be big enough to do w-whatever I want." The ewe suddenly beamed. "Then Daddy can't stop me from seeing P-puppy all the time!" 

"Do y-you think I'd be as strong and big as you?" The little ewe suddenly asked. Dawn was taken aback, she almost wanted to laugh. Strong and big as her? She wasn't...

"Maybe I am..." Dawn thought. "Maybe that thing is right. Standing up for myself, going after what I want, maybe I really am stronger than I thought."

"Dawn.." Vernon's voice, she could hear it. The ewe stood up, listening as hard as she could to make out Vernon's words.

"Dawn...I..." The voice continued.

"VERNON WHAT!? TELL ME!" She stood on a single hoof, trying to get as high up as she could to catch the sound.

Outside of the sleeping ewe's mind the weary wolf laid the same as he had been for the previous six days. Head rested on the bed, with Dawn's hoof in his paw. He stared at the ewe with tearful eyes.  
"My...uh, my graduation ceremony was today." the wolf sighed.

"I uh-I didn't go." He chuckled. "It's okay though, they still have to give me the degree anyway." 

Vernon gently pet her hoof, stroking it back and forth.

"I k-know you would have wanted me to go...but-" He shook his head. "I couldn't leave you alone here."

Vernon let out a long sigh, he could feel the tears forming as he tried his best to continue.

"I-I miss you Dawn. I-" Vernon whimpered. "I'm scared that, t-that your not going to pull through this." He shut his eyes tightly, doing his best to keep in the tears.

"I-I can't lose you Dawn, I need y-you." Vernon chuckled weakly through the growing sobs.

"I probably sound p-pathetic right?" He continued to chuckle. "I-I told myself if worst came to w-worst I wouldn't let losing you hurt me as bad as last time." The wolf sighed, a few more choking sobs bubbling to the surface.

"B-but It was a l-lie...I c-can't Dawn. I can't live without you i-in my life." The tears were flowing steadily now, and wolf wiped his eyes.

Back in the pit Dawn was weeping just as hard. For the first time in this whole ordeal she could hear clearly. She could hear everything the wolf was saying, and her heart burned with the desire to tell him the same.

"P-Puppy..."She whispered silently, tears streaming from her face.

"Dawn...I-" Vernon stuttered, seemingly hesitant to finish.

"Vernon." Dawn trembled.

"I-I love you Dawn." Vernon cried.

Dawn fell to her knees again, the wolf's confession practically knocking the wind out of her. She placed her hooves over her mouth in shock.

"I- I think I always have Dawn." Vernon continued. "You're the o-one." She could hear the wolf opening weeping. "P-please come back to me."

"Oh g-gods Vernon." Dawn choked.

"Don't l-leave me all alone. Ple-please." There were no more words from the wolf, only quiet sobs. 

Dawn silently cried as she knelt in the false earth of the pit. Vernon felt the same, by the gods he felt the same as she did. Dawn was blown away, both elated and terrified. Those three words, the ones she had so desperately wanted to hear made her heart swell with warmth. She felt the urge to grab Vernon, to kiss him deeply, to tell him how she felt the same if not more. But she couldn't, the wolf couldn't even hear her voice. Truly this was hell.

"Is that your friend?" Dawn turned to see the little ewe. She was standing again, arms behind her back, and swaying back and forth.

"Y-yeah..." Dawn sniffled.

"He sounds really nice. Just like my Puppy." The little ewe smiled back.

Dawn stifled a sob. "H-He is sweetie. He-e's the nicest mammal I-i've ever met."

"He sound like he needs you." The little ewe continued.

Dawn wiped her eyes, a determined look slowly working it's way across her face.

"He does." Dawn placed her hooves on the shoulders of her smaller self, looking the innocent ewe in the eyes.

"I have to go now okay." Dawn stated.

The little ewe nodded in response. "Okay, you go find Puppy for us." The smaller Dawn smiled broadly. "And you make sure we're always together again, no more waiting!" The small ewe pushed Dawn away from her gently.

Dawn stood up. With one last wipe of her eyes she stomped over to the nearest wall in the pit. Dawn growled as she reeled a hoof back, slamming it into the wall. The wall resisted, staying firm under the pressure.

Every time before that Dawn had tried to scale the wall it has always been unyielding. It's smooth stone prevented the ewe from getting any sort of grip. It had always seemed to be a hopeless errand. But with Vernon on the line, the ewe was filled with a burning determination she had never felt before. It flowed through her like fire, making her feel almost....savage.

Another slam, and another. Again the wall refused to give. Dawn reeled back again, placing all her force into another blow, screaming as her hoof came crashing down.

The wall caved under her hoof, allowing it to form a perfectly sized groove for it to fit in. Dawn stared at her now embedded hoof, mouth agape in shock. It had worked, it had actually worked. A sudden rush of greater assurance brought a smile to the ewe's muzzle. 

She grinned ferociously as she slammed her other hoof into the wall higher up. It gave on the first try, and the lamb began to pull herself up. Another indent, then another, then another. The ewe began to scale the smooth wall, moving across it with ease. Another and another and another still, higher and higher she went, growling with each slam into the stone. Vernon's weeping was growing louder now, she was getting closer.

Dawn glanced back at the bottom of the now empty pit. It was seemingly much farther away than it should have been, and as her stare lingered she could see it pulling farther and farther away despite her remaining still. It was fading, falling away into a dark abyss of nothingness. The ewe knew now that if she slipped it would all be over. She had seen enough, and Dawn turned her attention back to closing the last bit of distance to the rim of the exhibit.

Finally the lamb reached a hoof over the rim. Clasping the floor above she desperately scrambled to make the final hoist over the edge. It took a few tries, but finally Dawn crested the edge and flopped on the floor above.

The ewe panted hard, staring ahead at the room she had never gotten to see in her dreams. It wasn't like the museum, not at all. The tile floor she now lay on tapered off into a pure white void on all sides.

Dawn struggled to her feet, taking a few more gasps as she propped herself on a knee. Placing a hoof to her ear, she listened for the wolf's weeping again. It was practically in the room with her now, but it seemed the loudest straight ahead of her.

Dawn stood the rest of the way up, taking a final gasp as she stared into the void.

"I'm coming Puppy." She muttered. And with that she walked into the white abyss.

Outside Vernon continued to softly weep, his paw still tightly wrapped around the ewe's hoof. He clenched it tightly as he sobbed, intermittently squeezing with the most wracking sobs. He was about to let out another series of hacking cries when a strange sensation caused any further noise to die in his throat.

His head shot straight up off the bed, ears pointed high and alert. He looked at the sleeping ewe, then down to the hoof he was holding. It couldn't have been his imagination, he was sure of it.

A second squeeze of the hoof against his paw launched the wolf's heart into his throat. He watched in disbelief as the hoof weakly began to intertwine itself with his paw and began to squeeze consistently.

"D-D-Dawn.." The wolf choked in surprise. "Dawn!"

Vernon leaned his body over the bed, bringing his face close to the ewe's. He watched her motionless eyelids begin to flutter. His mouth hung agape as he watched the eyes slowly open, those beautiful lime green eyes he had come to love.

"V-v-vernon...?" A weak but familiar voice croaked.

Vernon couldn't speak, a renewed rush of tears now streaming from his face. The wolf smiled broadly, his tail wagging at a mile a minute.

"Wh-where are we?" The ewe stuttered though her mask.

"W-we're safe." The wolf choked. "We're safe D-dawn...you saved everyone." He laughed slightly as he continued to weep.

"B-but we almost lost you Floofs...we.." Vernon shook his head and was about to continue speaking when a shaky hoof made it's way to his muzzle, placing a single finger on his lips.

"I-I couldn't le-leave you all alone Puppy." She smiled. "We p-promised remember?" 

Vernon started to laugh through his tears. Gingerly the wolf wrapped his arms around the ewe, hugging her tightly.

"T-thats right." Vernon sobbed. "We'll always be there f-for eachother."


	27. Savage Love

It had been surprisingly difficult getting out of the hospital, although not in the way Dawn had anticipated. After spending nearly a week in a coma, the ewe had expected the hospital staff to be fairly resistant to the idea of letting her go home as soon as possible. She expected a slew tests now that she was awake and alert. Brain scans, x-rays, the whole nine yards including at the very least an extra week stuck at Grizzly Falls for rest and recovery. In truth she had only been partially right. Her doctor indeed had her undergo several tests. An MRI, some blood work and a few simple mobility tests before declaring the lamb fit to return home under supervision. He stressed that Dawn do her best to avoid 'particularly strenuous activity', and set her up with a wheelchair to assist with walking around until the lamb could overcome the lingering weakness in her legs she had accrued from being off them for so long. All of this was directed at Vernon, who had taken the doctor's orders like that of commands issued from a superior officer. The wolf was firm in following the doctors instructions, and wouldn't even hear Dawn's objections about being wheeled around like an invalid. Then again the ewe hadn't made much of a case for herself when she tripped on her way to the bathroom after the warnings. 

But all that was light, easy to handle, almost like a standard visit to the doctor's office. What had proven difficult was simply trying to exit the front doors of the Grizzly Falls Hospital the following day. The wolf had packed her things, placed her in her chair, and wheeled them to the hospital's main exit. Entering the lobby they could hear the rising din clamoring from outside the building. As they wheeled within view of the windows the ewe was blinded by the numerous flashes of cameras. She held up an arm to try to block the lighting as the wolf came to a stop at the entrance. Was this all for her? Vernon had clued her in on most of the details he had gathered from Nick and Judy about what had happened while she was under. She had gone from despised and hated by all to suddenly redeemed and revered in less than forty-eight hours. But still, staring at the throngs of reporters, photographers, interviewers and even fans amassed outside all seemed so unreal. It was dreamlike, as if the ewe had never awoken from her terrible endless purgatory.

"Teeth to tails." Dawn heard the wolf mutter under his breath.

The ewe glanced up at him. "What is it Puppy?"

"I didn't expect it to be this bad out there." Vernon chuckled. "Not sure how we're gonna push through all these fellas." The wolf gave a quick shrug.

"Well...I uh..." Dawn muttered. "I guess I could answer a few questions."

Dawn watched the wolf simply shake his head. " A few questions is fine, but the only way your gonna get that is a private interview back at home. These vultures are gonna mob us. We'll never make it to the subway station safely through that herd."

"You think they'd follow us that far?" The ewe asked.

"I count at least three mammals wearing 'Zootopian Query' press gear, so I'm pretty certain they would." 

Dawn grimaced at the thought, the 'Zootopian Query' was well known for being an unscrupulous publication with belligerent reporters. They would seek out a story at any cost, even if they had to make up the bulk of it. It was one of Zootopia's most scandalous tabloids, home to the most baseless conjecture, but the public ate it up.

"You wanna put the scare into 'em?" Dawn smirked at the wolf.

Vernon chuckled. "I can try, but I'm not sure how far it'll get us."

"Good, cause I can't stand to be in this hospital a moment longer." Dawn clutched her armrests in an effort to steel herself. "Onward my loyal Puppy!" She playfully demanded.

She glanced back up at the wolf, catching him in mid smirk. Vernon shook his head, letting out a loud exhale. 

"Welp, here we go..." And with that, the lamb felt herself jerk forward as the chair began to move toward the revolving door.

Once outside in the shivering cold, the ewe again found herself blinded by flashing lights. Microphones began to jut out from every direction all pleading for her attention, demanding it. But they whirled past as the wolf tried to rush her through the brigade.

"DAWN BELLWETHER! "HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THE REVELATION THAT YOUR FATHER WAS BEHIND THIS MASSIVE SCALE ATTACK PLAN ON THE CITY?!" " Came from a Giraffe ZNN representative.

"DAWN! WHAT DROVE YOU TO TAKE SUCH A DRASTIC MEASURES IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS ATTACK?! GUILT!? A SENSE OF JUSTICE!?" The Zootopian Times representative's mic hit the poof of her hair as she zipped past.

"MISS BELLWETHER, WHAT IS THE NATURE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MR.HUNTER!? INQUIRING MAMMALS WANT TO KNOW!" Shouted the mammals with the Zootopian Query. "ARE YOU SECRET LOVERS!?" They had stopped the speeding duo in their tracks. The reporters had perfectly sealed the edge of the mob off preventing their escape. The three rams all jutted microphones at her.

"BACK OFF YOU SAVAGES!" Vernon snarled. Dawn's chair weaved in various directions, Vernon clearly trying to find a way to force an opening. "SHE'S IN NO CONDITION TO TAKE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW!"

"MR. HUNTER!" The next volley came. " TELL US ABOUT YOUR HISTORY WITH MS.BELLWETHER!" The rams said in chorus, their cameras continued to flash at the ewe. All the lighting was starting to daze her.

"I DIDN'T SAY I WAS TAKIN' QUESTIONS EITHER!" The wolf huffed.

"MR. HUNTER, IS IT TRU-"

The sound of the rabble suddenly fell under the call of police sirens. One of the rams turned to see what the commotion was about only for a pair of fox paws to slide between him and one of the other rams. Aggressively the mob was parted by a very familiar mammal.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, BACK AWAY!" Nick yelled. "OFFICIAL POLICE BUISNESS!"

Dawn felt relief at the sight of the familiar fox. Nick un-holstered his baton, waiving it in the air at the crowd.

"CLEAR A PATH, OR ELSE I'LL HAVE THE LOT OF YOU BROUGHT IN FOR OBSTRUCTING EMERGENCY SERVICES!" The fox hissed as the crowd spread father back. When the fox seemed satisfied with distance, he waived the pair over to him. Vernon wasted no time getting her over to Nick, and was quick to get her in the back of Nick's police cruiser and away from prying eyes. In less than a minute the trio had packed into the vehicle and cleared the hospital, leaving a mass of disappointed reporters behind.

Nick as it turned out, had come specifically to ferry the pair back to Vernon's apartment. He and Judy had figured they had no way back other than public transportation, and the tod had taken time out of his normal shift to quote, "Keep them from being thrown to the wolves." The fox made sure to flash Vernon a smug grin at the end of that line, causing Vernon to groan and Dawn to stifle a giggle. The ewe was somewhat disappointed that Judy hadn't been along for the ride, as she was eager to talk to her. But Nick explained that the doe was busy trying to tie up all the lose ends to the newly dubbed 'Zootopia's Last Night' Case, something he'd be getting right back to after dropping the pair off. Apparently the ZPD was digging through Aster's effects in an effort to root out all the secret backers of the operation and bring them to justice. They had already pulled a horrifying amount of high profile names, and were still finding more with each passing day.

The crowd of reporters back at the Shutterbuck Estates was significantly smaller than the one swarming the Grizzly Falls Hospital, but it was no less an irritating sight to see. But at least now the pair had Nick with them to keep the rabble at a respectable distance as he lead them into the building.

Once they were safely back in the warm and familiar apartment, Vernon wheeled Dawn over to the living room sofa and allowed her to set herself up on it. The ewe was somewhat eager to get a better impression of exactly how the city had been handling everything she had missed. And so Dawn was set on camping out on the couch for a bit, using the television to catch up on the whole ordeal. Nick, his job completed, bid the two a goodbye. The fox expressing before leaving that 'He and Judy would be in touch soon.'

With Nick gone, the wolf continued to putter around the kitchen as Dawn got comfortable on the sofa. Vernon was dead set on making Dawn as relaxed as possible, and as the ewe watched from over the sofa armrest she could see the wolf gathering way more supplies than she could possibly need. The lamb chuckled quietly, she wanted to say something but she knew the wolf wouldn't listen. Instead she turned her attention to the television, flipping it on with a press of the remote. In an instant it came to life, already set to the Zootopian News Network.

On the screen were the familiar pair of Moosebridge and Growley, the faces of the ZNN. Dawn had caught the snow leopard in the middle of her report. 

"-names of several high profile mammals, most notably presumptive Mayoral candidate and famed prosecutor Gloria Swinton. A prominent member of the Preygressive Party, Swinton had been set to run against Snow in the upcoming Mayoral election this November. However, with the information that has come forward about her involvement in the 'Zootpia's Last Night' fiasco, the Prosecutor's presumptive political career has evaporated overnight. Swinton is currently out on bail, and is set to stand trial among the other forty some odd suspected backers of Aster Bellwether's terrorist plot early next month." The leopard concluded, adjusting the collar of her jacket slightly.

"Swinton?" Dawn was surprised. She had met the hog a few times during her time as Assistant Mayor. During their brief encounters she had with the pig, she had seemed to be quite the pleasant mammal. As far as Dawn could tell, she didn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. 

Dawn shook her head at the last thought, letting out a sarcastic chuckle. No one probably thought Dawn had a mean bone in her body either until the night howler scandal, the irony of the situation eliciting another chuckle.

Dawn turned her attention back to Vernon who was still rooting around in the cabinets for who knows what. She peeked over the arm rest, leaning her head on her arms as she watched him digging through the various foods in the higher storage spaces.

The wolf was stretching, trying to get something from the highest shelf and muttering complaints to himself. Dawn watched his tail sway, occasionally flashing the perfect view of his rump which the ewe had become somewhat fixated on. She mused at the idea of strutting over to the wolf and giving his behind a firm grasp, but threw the idea aside due to the risk of falling on her way. Still the idea of it caused her to bite her lip in impish pleasure.

"-Doug Ramses..." The name drew Dawn's attention away from her lurid fantasies and back to the news report. Moosebridge was speaking now, apparently on another facet of the case. "the only survivor aside from Dawn Bellwether at the Woolery Wine Bottling Plant explosion was ferried back to Outback Island Prison today under high security." The moose stated. " The sheep is set to go to trial for his most recent crime in a case separate from the night howler conspirators and backers. While no concrete word has been levied about the how much jail time will be added to his sentence, many officials are talking life imprisonment with no possibility of parole."

"Good." Dawn mumbled.

"Good what?" Vernon said, falling on to the couch next to the lamb. The ewe flinched in surprise at the sudden jostle the wolf's weight had made on the couch. He was holding several items, a blanket, a bag of grazer chips, and a jar of salsa.

"O-Oh." She stuttered. "Doug's looking at life in prison."

Vernon placed the chips and salsa on the coffee table. Giving the blanket a shake, he shimmed his way behind the ewe before coating them both in the soft green throw. Vernon wrapped an arm around the ewe from behind, resting his head on hers as he snuggled up to her. Dawn could feel her heart start to beat rapidly as the feel of the wolf's embrace caused her to shudder.

"Good." Vernon muttered, letting out a comfortable sigh.

"I'm sorry about the crap food." He whined. "It's the best I can do until I can get out to get groceries. We were running low before that whole..." The wolf paused, seemingly hesitating. "mess."

Dawn buried herself deeper into Vernon's embrace, a feeling of heat beginning to rise within her. She brought a hoof up to the wolf's face, gently caressing the side in a reassuring way.

"Oh it's fine. I'm not too hungry anyway." Dawn replied, trying to keep her eyes fixated on the news.

"Finally in the news tonight, Dawn Bellwether has been discharged from the Grizzly Falls Hospital. While the ewe has yet to be interviewed on her thoughts on everything that transpired involving the 'Zootopia's Last Night' case, the footage out cameras recovered show her being escorted from the hospital by one Vernon Hunter and Detective Nick Wilde." Growley stated.

"Heh, they work fast don't they?" Vernon chuckled. The low rumble of his words vibrated against the ewe's head, causing her to quiver. 

"H-heh, yeah." Dawn replied. The lamb was growing hungry, but not for food. She had yet to discuss what she had heard Vernon say at the hospital. She was sure he wasn't even aware he had been heard, and the feeling of the wolf being so close was bringing the need to tell him to the forefront.

"While we have yet to speak to her directly, I think I can speak for our staff when I say thank you Dawn Bellwether." Growley gave a soft smile. " Your bravery, despite the attitude the city had against you, saved us all. And at the very least myself, and my family are forever grateful for what you've done." Growley cleared her throat, it was clear she was getting choked up. 

"I don't think anyone here would disagree Fabienne." Moosebridge stepped in. "That's why from all of us here at ZNN, we wish you a speedy recovery. Thank you Dawn Bellwether." The moose straightened his tie. 

"Oh m-my." Dawn placed her hooves over her mouth.

She could feel Vernon tighten his grip on the ewe, squeezing into a hug. "See that Floofs? You're a hero."

Dawn simply chuckled. "I-I'm no hero Puppy."

She could feel the wolf squeeze her again, and a chill ran down her spine.

"No you are." She felt the wolf's paw gently lift her chin until she was looking right in Vernon's eyes. "You showed everyone that you were the mammal I knew you were." Vernon's eyes shone. "Bask in that pride Dawn, accept all them accolades and rewards you deserve."

Dawn pulled her head away as she felt the blush rise in her cheeks. She shook her head, letting out a laugh. "Well I didn't do it alone Puppy." She reached out to the coffee table, taking a chip from the open bag and popping it in her mouth. "What about your rewards?" She asked, chewing the crisp after finishing her question.

"Welp." The wolf sighed as he took a chip himself, dipping it in the salsa. "The Mayor offered me an internship in the city's architecture department, you know government stuff."

"What!?" Dawn sputtered, clapping her hoofs together.

"Yeah, Her office contacted me at the hospital after Wilde and Hopps were on TV. Apparently Snow said it was the least she could do for one of the mammal's the city owed it's life to." Vernon crunched the chip, his expression remaining nonchalant. "Well that and writing off the little misdemeanors I accrued during our little adventure."

Dawn was awestruck. The extremely excited ewe grabbed the wolf by his shirt and shook him vigorously.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" She was practically ecstatic at the wolf's windfall.

"I turned it down of course." The wolf popped another chip in his mouth.

Dawn felt the wind get knocked out of her. She couldn't have heard him right. Her shocked expression now shifting to that of abject horror.

"V-Vernon?" She sputtered. "Y-you didn't really?"

"Don't seem fair to me to jump up the ladder like that, even if it is entry level." The wolf shook his head. "Ain't never been big on nepotism."

Dawn stared at him, her mouth agape as words seemed to fail her. Vernon had turned down a golden opportunity for what she felt was ridiculous reasons. The wolf was already going to have a tough time making headway in a field mostly levied toward beavers and moles and so on, and here was this chance to get in and show what he was capable of and the wolf had utterly snubbed it. 

"PUPPY! YOU DUMMY!" She slapped him playfully. "HOW COULD YOU PASS UP SOMETHING LIKE THAT UP!" Vernon seemed to wince under her shout, placing his paws up to defend himself.

Dawn could feel tears coming on as she grabbed Vernon by his shirt again. "You say I deserve a reward, and you won't take one for yourself!?" She sputtered in disbelief.

Vernon shook his head. "Actually I was forced to take it, Mayor Snow refused to hear of it otherwise." Vernon chuckled.

Dawn let out a sigh of relief, her clasp loosening on the wolf's shirt as she did.

"But I didn't care because I got the one reward out of this whole thing I really wanted." Vernon coughed, turning away from the ewe.

Dawn shuddered, she could see the hint of a blush building below the wolf's muzzle fur as he averted his gaze. Her heart began to pound intensely as she fully interpreted his meaning. She thought back to her time in the coma, the pit, the wolf's words. The question she had been wanting to ask finally worked it's way out of her stammering mouth.

"V-vernon..." She stammered, her own blush beginning to show. "D-did you mean what you said...in the h-hospital I mean?"

The wolf turned back to face her quickly, his face twisted in a mix of surprise and terror. Vernon ran a seemingly shaky paw through the fur on his scalp. The wolf opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words he emitted a weak squeak. He quickly coughed into his other paw before trying to continue. The blush under his fur was as clear as day now.

"W-what did I s-say?" The wolf stammered.

Dawn gulped hard, the grip on the wolf's shirt growing tighter as she steeled herself to get the wolf to confess to her again now that she could properly respond. 

"T-that you loved me." Dawn smiled back at Vernon, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

The wolf clutched at his throat uneasily, looking away from the ewe in what seemed to be embarrassment.

"Y-you...uh..." He coughed. "You heard that?"

The ewe gave a soft nod in response, which only seemed to distress the wolf further.

"D-Dawn, listen I di-"

Dawn didn't give the wolf a chance to finish, instead placing a hoof to his lips.

"Shhh." Dawn whispered as the wolf turned back to face her. Her eyes welling with tears. Dawn slowly moved her hoof over to the side of his muzzle, her other hoof rising to brace it on the other side. Dawn smiled broadly through the tears.

"Please, I want to hear it..." She trailed off.

Vernon's ears sagged as he looked back into her, a smile slowly working across his muzzle.

"I love you Dawn." Vernon whimpered. "I always have." The wolf closed his eyes hard as tears began to leak out of them. "You're the love of my life."

Dawn felt a surge of emotions run through her. She was alive, alive to hear Vernon say those words to her. Love, elation, desire, terror all flooded her senses before being drowned out by an increasingly familiar primal urge. The kind of thing she suppressed deep in her mind for so long bubbling back up to the surface. Her intuition, desires, all laid bare as they were now free. It pushed aside all thoughts save one.

'Take what you want.'

" Dawn I-"

Dawn was on the wolf in an instant, her muzzle pressed against the shocked wolf's own in less time than it took to blink. She couldn't see Vernon with her eyes shut as tightly as they were, but she could feel the wolf's surprise and apprehension quickly relent under her force, and soon meeting her in equal vigor. It felt like someone had replace the lamb's blood with pure electricity as she continued kissing the wolf. But before she passed the point of no return, the ewe knew she still had something important to say. She had wanted to say it for so long, and damn it she was going to. Reluctantly she broke the kiss, pulling slightly back from the wolf. His eyes were half lidded in clear bliss, but there was a hint of confusion on his face.

"I love you too Vernon." Dawn's tears were streaming steadily now. 

With her feelings made clear in no uncertain turns, Dawn was back on the wolf in a heartbeat. Her muzzle meeting his in a less forceful and more tender kiss. She could feel the wolf slowly wrap his arms around her as he returned the sentiment, his lips softly playing against her own. The little ewe reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck as she drew him deeper. The embers that had been glowing within her very being were starting to catch fire as the lamb found each small break between kisses growing farther and farther apart. She felt her urges pressing her on, slowly but surely increasing the force behind her kissing. Rather quickly the internal debate began inside the ewe's mind. Should she be the first to open her mouth, to invite the wolf in? Or was it more prudent to let him lead. However, Vernon surprised her by suddenly pushing her away. She stared at the gasping wolf in utter confusion.

"W-wait, wait...!" Vernon gasped.

"W-what!?" Dawn felt agony inside, this sudden denial was unbearable.

"I j-just." Vernon held his chest. "A-are we m-moving to fast?" The wolf wiped his brow. "I-I mean we haven't even b-been on a date yet, right?"

The ewe hadn't considered this. It was true they had yet to actually go out and do the normal things that couples do. Perhaps the ewe was too quick to let her lurid urges take control of the situation.

"T-that" She stuttered. "T-that's true I guess." She let out a sigh.

"T-that's the normal and res-spectful way to go about th-his." Dawn could see the wolf visibly shaking, clearly he was having just as much of a hard time holding back.

Dawn nodded briskly, in firm agreement with Vernon.

"Okay, we'll do this right. We'll wait till a few dates in, and s-see how it goes." She shuddered.

"W-we can still be cuddled up t-though, right?" Vernon whimpered. his eyes had a look of pleading to them.

Dawn smiled. "Of course Puppy, as long as I can get one more kiss."

The wolf leaned in, allowing Dawn to place another slow tender kiss on his muzzle. The second she touched his lips the doused fires inside flared back up in roaring spectacularity. Dawn's mind was going crazy, screaming at her to pull the wolf on top of her, to let him ravage her. She was rapidly losing herself to the drunken warmth of animal pleasure. 

Clearly the kiss was a bad idea. 

Dawn drastically pulled away from Vernon, clasping her hooves to her lips. She stared back at the equally scared looking wolf with wide eyes.

"Y-you know..." She stuttered. "W-we have been l-living together for l-like three months." The ewe rolled her eyes, feigning some semblance of innocence. "I-in a way it's like we've been on cl-close to ninety d-dates." A chill traveled down her spine as she internally prayed the wolf would go for her gambit.

Vernon bit his lip, his eyes darting around nervously.

"That's s-sound enough reasoning to me." Vernon grinned nervously.

Dawn pulled the wolf into another hard kiss, her tongue working it's way into his muzzle as far as it could. She hadn't been sure what to expect of Vernon's own tongue kissing prowess, but she was certain the larger muzzle housed a much longer and more dexterous mechanism than her own. Vernon's tongue traded the sudden lashing with a much more dainty and gentle entrance. It was unusual, not quite what she had imagined in her fantasies but exceedingly pleasant. It's strange texture sent shivers down her spine as it danced around her own tongue. She could feel Vernon's tender slurps and suckles with each of his soft breaths, and she matched them with her own emitting pleasant sighs with each new twist and turn.

Dawn began to dig her hooves into the wolf's back as she felt her pleasure starting to build. It was so good, so soon, it was almost scary. She continued pawing at his back, doing all she could to force the wolf deeper into her mouth. She wanted more, more of the titillating ministrations his tongue had to offer. She could feel the wolf's paws working their way up the back of her shirt, running his pads up and down her back with each firmer and more aggressive kiss.

Suddenly Dawn felt compelled to force Vernon out of her mouth. The ewe pushed the wolf away, letting out a gasp as the wolf drew back. Dawn was slightly dazed, and it took her a moment to notice the wolf's concerned face.

"D-Dawn did I do-?"

She placed a hoof up to his muzzle. She wanted this, she knew that much. But she wasn't about to let this continue with all the ambience and majesty a living room couch could offer.

"B-bedroom." She panted. "Now." She ran her hoof through the bit of chest fur sticking out of his shirt, biting her lip in anticipation.

The wolf nodded briskly, clambering clumsily to his feet. Before the wolf could finish reaching out to scoop the ewe up, Dawn flung herself into his arms. Wrapping her legs around his waist she was quick to work her tongue back into the wolf's maw. She felt Vernon nearly lose his balance before rebounding and beginning his encumbered stagger toward his bedroom. Dawn released her firm grip on the wolf's back only to begin the desperate struggle against her own shirt. She tore at the plain purple dress shirt frantically, unable to get it off fast enough. She pulled her lips away from Vernon only temporarily to better lift the offending garment off only for the wolf to bury his muzzle into the crook of her neck. The wolf nipped and purred, shifting the ewe's attention away from her blouse immediately.

"AHH!" She yelped. "Puppy!" She could feel her eyes roll under the waves of pleasure emanating from his playful nuzzling. As the pair passed through the archway of the wolf's den, she caught the wolf's foot out of the edge of her eye, hooking around the door in an effort to pull it shut behind them. It had only taken him a moment to wrestle the door shut, leaving the pair in the dark ambience of Vernon's bedchamber. The intimate atmosphere making the ewe's lust burn ever hotter as the two fell into Vernon's bed.

The rest of the night was a whirlwind of passion, with brief breaks in between each seemingly endless session. Dawn's long repressed lust was out of it's cage, and it managed to keep perfectly in step with the wolf's seemingly bottomless stamina. Vernon had become even more confident as the evening progressed, and it drove him on well into the wee hours of the morning. By the end of it, the two were run completely ragged, still yearning for more despite their body's betrayal. Dawn wasn't sure exactly when she passed out, but she was certain she had caught the barest glimpse of the morning sun before it all went dark again.

Dawn awoke to find she had fallen asleep in her glasses. The first thing she could she was Vernon's furred arm wrapped tightly around her in the somewhat dim lighting of the day. Dawn squeezed the wolf's arm in a tight hug before letting out a soft sigh.

"Morning darlin'" She heard the wolf mutter sweetly.

"Mhhh..." She sighed. "Is it morning?"

"I don't know." Vernon chuckled. 

"How long have you been up?" The ewe swiveled herself around in the wolf's grasp, facing Vernon's half lidded gaze.

"Been up for 'bout an hour." He smiled. "Watching you sleep." Vernon twisted a curl of the ewe's poof around his finger playfully. "You make the cutest little bleating noises."

Dawn placed her hooves on Vernon's muzzle, giving him a soft kiss.

"Mhh..." She sighed. "Aren't you sweet..."

It was then Dawn became aware of the aching in her pelvis. She hadn't realized just how sore she was with her head still in the clouds from the previous night.

"Ugh..." She fidgeted uncomfortably, reaching down to rub one of her hips. "I feel like I've been to the gym." The ewe laughed.

"Same here." he replied. "So much for no 'particularly strenuous activity', eh Floofs?" Vernon chuckled.

Dawn gave the wolf a playful smack. "Yeah, so much for that. And you were suppose to be my carer. How unprofessional." She giggled.

"Hey, If you take me to court, I'll tell them how you seduced me." Vernon raised his hands defensively. "One look at those eyes and they'll know I'm not lying."

Dawn snuggled up to Vernon's chest, laying her head against the thick tuft of fur in it's center. Gently she began to stroke his pelt. She looked up at the wolf with gentle and adoring eyes.

"I love you Vernon." She sighed softly.

"I love you too Dawn." The wolf smirked back.

The ewe slid away from Vernon, making her way to the edge of the bed. Once at the side, she dangled her legs off the end. Carefully the ewe tried to stand. Despite the weakness and now the pain Dawn managed to fairly effortlessly get to her feet.

"Where you off too?" Vernon asked.

"I'm gonna find us something to eat." She replied.

"There's nothing in here Floof's." Vernon chuckled. "Why don't we go out and get something."

Dawn threw the wolf a worried glance. "V-vernon, I can't go out there."

The wolf laughed. "Dawn, you're not the most hated mammal in Zootopia anymore remember?" The wolf laughed. "Now you've got no excuse, besides I want to show off my beautiful ewe."

Dawn blushed at the wolf's remark. "Vernon..." She said with slight embarrassment, drawing out his name.

"Then again, the interspecies romance thing might not go over well on your new public image." Vernon looked down. "I-I hadn't really given that much thought."

Dawn climbed back onto the bed. Placing a hoof back against the wolf's muzzle, she stared lovingly into Vernon's eyes.

"Rut 'em." She said, grinning ear to ear. Vernon grinned broadly, his tail wagging briskly in response.

"In fact..." The ewe rolled her eyes, an idea starting to coalesce in her mind. " I think I'm gonna start writing again."

"Oh?" The wolf uttered, a look of surprise on his face. "You gonna do that biography we talked about?" 

Dawn chuckled, shaking her head. "Sort of..." Dawn smiled. "But I was thinking of something a bit more intimate."

The ewe pulled away from the wolf, making her way back off the bed. As she made her way to the bedroom door, she turned to glance at the puzzled looking wolf, another smirk crawling across her face. "And I think I'm going to need your help to write it."


	28. The Dawn of a New Day

"Welcome to ZNN's afternoon edition." Peter Moosebridge sat at the news desk, the same Nick had always seen. "I'm Peter Moosbridge, let's get started with our top story." The moose straightened his tie.

"It's been six month's since the "Zootopia's Last Night" terrorist plot was successfully foiled by the ZPD with the help of Dawn Bellwether. Today the newly re-elected Mayor Adele Snow has finally addressed the growing issue of Night Howler possession and sale with a plan to slowly phase in a strict and careful monitoring program as well as a research and development initiative spearheaded by the ZPD. While not out and out banning the flower from the city shores, Snow addressed the importance perfecting the technology to combat the deadly toxin with speed and efficiency."

The television cut to previously recorded footage of Snow's press conference. She stood at her podium next to none other than Chief Bogo and her Assistant Mayor Elton Hart as cameras flashed wildly.

"Night Howler is here." The snow leopard stated bluntly. "And it's never going away." She placed her fist in her palm decisively. " If we try to crack down on it the way we cracked down on fire arms in the seventies we will have to suffer years of shockwaves as society adjusts to the change. The illicit market will develop newer and deadlier ways to utilize it and will outpace our own efforts to combat it." The crowd began to murmur.

"When firearms were banned, it took us years to get tranquilizer technology to the level it is today. Its speed and efficiency making it the only choice for the City's law enforcement outside of emergency situations. But during the years of the ban the technology was new, and poorly developed. The ZPD struggled as illicit gun crime skyrocketed, left in danger with weapons ill equipped to properly fight criminals at the time. Many innocent civilians and officers died over those rocky first years as technology struggled to catch up to necessity. The ban hadn't stopped criminals from using firearms, only weakened our own ability to fight them."

More murmurs came from the crowd, peppered with a few cries of dismissal.

"With this initiative, we are trying to avoid that same ripple effect. By allocating funds aside for the research and development of specific night howler combatants and preventive weaponry for the ZPD, we are putting the power in those sworn to protect us, without empowering those who seek to destroy us." Snow cleared her throat as the cameras continued to flash.

"Over the next five years, we will be re-opening Cliff Side Asylum as Zootopia's new toxic research facility. There our best scientist's will be working to create fast acting cures for night howler similar to tranquilizer darts, as well as smoke form and other combative technologies. In this way we are hoping any future night howler attacks can be quickly and safely dealt with."

The flashes continued as the Mayor cleared her throat again. " With research unhampered, and night howler remaining legal we can hope to more easily monitor it's purchase and sale. We also believe this will slow attempts at progress by rogue groups on further weaponizing the toxin."

The Mayor glanced over at Bogo briefly before turning back to the audience.

"We have to vigilant, we can no longer go on pretending night howler doesn't exist. We can only hope to learn how to better fight it, and better protect Zootopia." The Mayor straightened her tie. "Thank you."

Nick took a sip of his blueberry cub soda as the news report continued, letting out a pleasurable sigh.

Moosebridge was back on screen. "When further pressed for details, the Mayor added that the eighty some odd backers to the Aster Bellwether conspiracy plot was her 'startling wake up call' at just how serious the night howler issue was." Moosebridge cleared his throat. "I think that's a sentiment most of us can agree with."

"Amen to that." Nick raised his bottle before taking another swig.

"Now we'll be turning it over to Fabienne Growley, who is gracing us with an exclusive interview with singing sensation 'Gazelle'. Apparently the pop Diva is set to drop a bombshell on us, is that right Fabienne?" The moose shifted, turning his glance off screen.

"That's right Peter." The screen had now cut to the familiar snow leopard. She was sitting in a red armchair in a somewhat homey looking studio set. There was a glass table next to her, but the camera was zoomed as to prevent the full table from being seen. "I'm personally hoping it's a new album." Growley laughed. "But I suppose I'll have to wait and see."

As Growley leaned on the glass table, the shot widened revealing the famous Gazelle sitting across from her. Her head was leaning on her hooves as she watched Growley, and her multi-bangled gold dress practically blinded Nick as the set lighting caused it to gleam brightly at the camera.

"So Gazelle." The newscaster's voice was pleasant, but Nick could hear the hint of high pitched alto that came with fan adoration exuding from the leopard. "What brings you to our studio today?" The cat leaned in expectantly.

Gazelle laughed lightly, waiving a hoof playfully. "Well it is true I am working on a new album." She nodded. "But it is not what brings me here today Fabienne, no, no."

The lithe gazelle reached into her lap before lifting a hardcover book up onto the glass table. She held it vertically, her hooves bracing the bottom so the audience could better see the face. The cover featured a hand drawn depiction of an ancient wolf stalking a sheep. The title of the book had strange wisps and serifs that made it hard to read even under the high-definition camera. Nick scratched his chin as he squinted to inspect it.

"I want to talk about this book." The Gazelle laughed.

"Oh, the Dawn Bellwether book." Growely nodded.

"Yes, 'Predator Seeking Prey.'" The Gazelle nodded.

Suddenly she flipped the book around, turning the cover upside down, at least it seemed that way at first. Nick noticed that now the drawing seemed to take on a different implication from the new angle. Now the Sheep appeared to be stalking the wolf.

'Or 'Prey Seeking Predator.' Depending on how you read it mija." The antelope chuckled.

Now Nick could make sense of the wispy font choice. Depending on the way the novel was sitting the text could be read differently, presenting a different title in either direction. It was a textbook example of an ambigram.

"Hmm...clever..." Nick mused, leaning in toward the television with a bit more interest.

"Yes, if I'm not mistaken it was written by Bellwether but includes the transcribed accounts of her..." Growley's eyes glanced away from the camera uncomfortably. "mate..." She coughed. "Vernon Hunter."

"Yes, yes, so you have read it?" The gazelle chirped.

"W-well no, actually." The newscaster appeared even more uncomfortable than before. "But we've been covering the controversy since it's release last month."

Gazelle flicked a hoof playfully. "Well you should mija, everyone should read it." The antelope asserted, laying the book down gently on the table. "It's controversial because it is real, it is raw love. And every mammal in Zootopia should see it."

"Well, there are some mammals who would argue that Dawn's relationship as described in the book is...well.." The snow leopard looked down uncomfortably.

Gazelle seemed to lower her eyelids, staring at the cat dully.

"Un-natural?" She asked.

The leopard nodded. "And many mammals are still quite uncomfortable accepting...well...that sort of partnership."

"Mija, you are looking at this the wrong way." The gazelle placed her hoof on the newscaster's paw.

"W-what!?" Fabienne's stance seemed to straighten. "I-I never said I had a problem with it!" The Snow leopard sputtered.

"Look at you sweat." Nick chuckled. "Like she got caught with a 'Horned and Horny' magazine in her paws."

"This book is about true love mija, regardless of your teeth or pelt. Of childhood romance stifled by a society still stuck in the mindset of a primitive world." The antelope grasped the book again, holding it up as she continued. "Of overcoming fears for the sake of the one you love, even putting your life on the line." Gazelle smiled broadly. "I admire their bravery, to be so candid about it all." The antelope let out a sigh.

"When I was little, in my home country of Gutallama, my childhood was a lot like Dawn's. The strife between species is even worse there than in Zootopia, and my family was very against even speaking to predators." The antelope frowned.

"But I was always a rebel." She smirked. "I found the secret places, where predators and prey came together." The Gazelle leaned on her hoof, letting out a wistful sigh. "I would sneak out nights and join the others like me, and we would dance till dawn. Tigers and llamas, Pumas and Rams, all of us just living mija. Just having fun as kids do, we didn't care what we were. It was in those places I learned that I loved to sing, that I came into my own."

Her face grew pained. "But one day our secret place was caught in a sweep. My family had to come get me or I would have been arrested for such open displays of harmony among species." She shook her head. "Whatever the corrupt police could drum up to demonize simply being with the mammals you weren't supposed too."

"My parents punished me, locked me away from the outside world. The friends I had made at those places probably received much worse, and I worried for them every night." She sighed, her voice beginning to break.

"But one night, a tiger friend of mine came to me. Snuck up to my window. He told me he was running off to Zootopia to become a dancer." She smiled broadly. "Armand told me that mammals could be free there, to be who they wanted and be friends with who they wanted." Her grin took on a look of nostalgic wonder.  
"He wanted me to come with him, to flee Guatallama and allow my singing and dancing to shine in Zootopia."

"And the rest is history...?" Fabienne asked.

"I didn't look back." She laughed. "My family is still ashamed of me, but I had to be true to myself."

"S-so are you implying that you and Armand...?"

Gazelle placed a hoof against her muzzle, stifling a giggle. "Ay, no, no." She waived her other hoof. "Armand is still my best friend and my most skilled dancer. But he is with another one of my dancers. We were never like that."

"O-oh." Growley stuttered. "So then, you aren't a mammal personally affected by Dawn 'coming out' , so to speak."

The antelope chuckled.

"Dawn is doing another book." Gazelle stated. "In the spirit of the first one."

"You know this?" Growley asked.

"I talked to her directly." The gazelle pat the book on the table. "Her first book gave me the courage to come here today, to say what I'm gonna say. So I had to be a part of the sequel in any way I could." Gazelle grinned. "My next album is entirely inspired by it."

"Well...then what did you come here to say? Are you seeing another one of your dancers?" Fabienne asked.

Gazelle laughed uproariously. "No, no, why is it every mammal always goes right to my dancers?"

Fabienne blushed. "W-well I mean...look at them."

"Oh ho," Gazelle laughed. "Do you want one of their numbers mija? I know Martin has a thing for you."

The snow leopard nearly jumped out of her chair, a squeak dying in her throat as she covered it with a hard cough. Holding out a shaking paw she displayed her wedding ring. 

"I-I'm flattered...really..." She stammered. "B-but married, yes married see!" Growley's tone was one not so much telling Gazelle that she was taken, but rather more of a mantra of faithfulness to herself, reminding herself she had a husband back at home.

"But..." Gazelle shook her head. "I am seeing a predator." She smiled. "I've been seeing him for two years now."

"T-two years!?" Growely said shocked. "How did you manage to keep it a secret for so long?"

"Mi Pequeño Amor, his job made it easy to cover up..." She sighed. "He did it for me, but I shouldn't have let it go on as long as it did."

"Mi Pequeño Amor?" Nick muttered, a fuzzy memory returning to him. "N-no...no way."

"I love him more than life itself, and Dawn's book made me realize that it was time to stop hiding it. How can you truly love a mammal if you willingly hide it?"

Gazelle placed the book back down. "So today, I'd like to introduce my long term boyfriend." The camera panned following Gazelle's rapidly extending hoof toward the entrance of the set, falling on nothing but a vacant doorway. After a moment a deep voice chirped up from off screen.

"Down here 'mam." The camera reeled down to the floor, revealing a very familiar small sand colored fox wearing massive sunglasses.

Nick spit his soda across the room, choking on the carbonation as it burned it's way down his windpipe. Nick gasped and hacked as the fox made his way over to the pop star. With her help, she raised him up and on to the glass table. Finnick took off his glasses before taking a seat on Dawn's book. He turned to Gazelle, giving her a gentle kiss before turning to face Growley.

"Yo, I'm Finnick." The fox chuckled. "I'm an officer with the ZPD, precinct two, and I'm Gab's mate."

Nick was pounding his chest as he struggled to eject the cola from his lungs.

"Nick!?" He could hear Judy's voice chime from down the hall. "Are you okay!?"

"F-Fi-Fi.." He rasped, the words unable to form. Within minutes the rabbit had joined him in the living room. Judy was wearing a pastel blue dress, and a black jacket with a Carrot cameo pin near the collar. Out of sight of the TV the rabbit began to tap her foot in clear aggravation.

"Have you been watching TV this whole time!?" Judy hissed.

Nick pointed at the screen, still hacking up bubbles.

Judy ignored his flailing.

"We're supposed to pick Dawn and Vernon up in twenty minutes. You know how hard I've been trying to set up the double date dinner thing for the last few months." Judy snapped.

"C-carrots..." Nick coughed, still pointing at the screen.

"With our case load, and now with Dawn's book signings it's been hell to set this up. Just get dressed already." The rabbit huffed.

"Finnick's dating Gazelle!" Nick finally choked out. 

Judy finally looked at the screen.

"Nick, that's a commercial for solepads." The rabbit retorted.

Nick turned his attention back to the screen to see that the news had indeed went to a commercial break. The fox slapped a paw against his head.

"He was there! They were on the news!" Nick continued stabbing his paw at the screen.

"Just get dressed, we'll talk about it in the car okay?" The rabbit scoffed, turning to walk back down the hall. 

Nick let out a defeated sigh. The fox finished his drink, stood up, and walked briskly after the rabbit. Nick dressed up in the only suit he had, a pressed dark green affair with a playful tie that matched his usual tropical shirt. It was the only way, in his mind, to give the drab outfit a bit of flair. There wasn't much talk as the two rushed to get on the road with Nick's shiny red hotrod, which Judy had taken upon herself to drive. Nick sometimes found it funny just how much more the bunny ended up driving his car than he did. 

After explaining what he saw to Judy, and a few articles pulled up on the phone confirming what Nick had seen the rabbit seemed to be left in a state of silent shock. Nick in the meantime had taken to trying to call the fox and grill him about all the details, but it kept rolling over into the fennec's answering machine.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up." Nick muttered, making another what he presumed to be a failed attempt at contacting his friend.

"I still can't believe it." Judy said in surprise. "Finnick and Gazelle?" She stuttered.

"Clawhauser's going to be so devastated." Nick chuckled, still focusing on the rings.

"So will Bogo." Judy giggled.

Nick hung up the phone, letting out a defeated sigh. "Answering machine again. That little son of a..." Nick chuckled.

"How does that even work?" Judy muttered quietly.

"I don't know...how do Dawn and Vernon work?" Nick retorted.

Judy let out a chuckle. "What?"

"Think about it Carrots." Nick raised his paws to accentuate the point. "Vernon's what, three times the size of Dawn right?" 

"Yeah, so?" Judy shrugged.

"So proportionately that's got to equal out downstairs right?" Nick laid his arm on the passenger side window.

"Nick!" Judy hissed.

"Look, all I'm saying is that either Vernon's packing a roll of pennies or he's stuffing Dawn like a holiday stocking."

"NICK!" Judy snorted, trying to hold back her laughter. "Don't be gross!"

"Vernon mating with Dawn has gotta look like he's wearing a wooly oven mitt." The fox leaned over and nudged Judy, grinning ear to ear.

"NICK! GROSS!" She cackled, clasping the driving wheel tightly. "I H-HAVE TO F-FOCUS ON D-DRIVING!" The rabbit was in hysterics.

"What? It's just a valid question, what do you think it's like for them?" He chuckled.

"NICK I DON'T W-WAN'T TO P-PICTURE MY FRIENDS IN THE THROWS OF M-MATING!" Judy wheezed through her laughs. 

"Oh can you even imagine their 'o' faces?" Nick grinned smugly." Vernon's is probably nightmarish."

"Nick..." Judy groaned. "Do you really want to imagine that?" She flashed him a smug expression. "You want to be looking for it in every expression they make from now on."

The fox shuddered as Judy's words hit home, his muzzle scrunching in disgust. "Good point." he chuckled.

"Besides, it's probably no different than us." The rabbit ginned slyly at him. "We're different sizes and we make it work."

"Now that's a face I want to imagine." Nick flashed a smug grin at the rabbit.

"Nick." Judy blushed slightly.

"Especially the way you bite your lip when you're just at the edge." Nick cooed. Hs ears flatting against his head as he savored the memory.

"NICK!" Judy's blush worsened as the fox continued his teasing.

"And the way you moan 'sweet cheese and crackers' when you are-" 

"NICK!" Judy smacked the fox playfully. "STOP! WE'RE HERE!"

Nick turned his attention to the upcoming apartment complex. As they approached he could make out the familiar duo of Dawn and Vernon. They were sitting at one of the various patio tables strewn about the area. The wolf, dressed in a cable-knit green sweater and dress pants, sat on the bench. Dawn, was seated on the table itself, leaning against the wolf and holding his arm. She was dressed in a black mini skirt and jacket topped off with a frilly lavender cravat. Her infamous wool poof was styled, causing it to droop over one eye and she wore purple cats-eye glasses instead of her usual tortoise shell style lenses. The pair weren't alone however, already engrossed in a conversation with a few familiar and unfamiliar mammals. 

Conversing with the wolf was Mr.Hornsly, the goat with the broken horn. Although oddly, it looked as though his splintered horn had miraculously healed. It was evenly balanced with the other, and just as large as it should have been. Next to him was the teenage vixen from the restaurant, leaning on her bike with a seemingly bored expression. She blew a large bubble with her gum as Judy pulled the car up to the curb, parking it across from the group.

As Nick made his way out of the car, he could better see the unknown mammal talking to Dawn. It was a beleaguered looking otter, with two pups in tow. His grey jumpsuit screamed maintenance mammal. His third pup was in the arms of the ewe, and Dawn seemed to be fretting over the little mammal as she talked.

As Nick lazily sauntered his way toward the pair, he finally began to catch some of the conversation the goat and wolf were having.

"-finally get to put my management degree to work at something I want to do!" Gus was exuberant, arms moving around in an attempt to emphasize his statements.

"I don't know Gus, managing a hobby shop probably doesn't require a degree." Vernon shook his head.

"Not just one, once it gets big we'll be franchising! It will be Zootopia's number one hobby stop!" Gus said emphatically. "My grandpa gave me the money from selling the Bug-Burga lot to start my own store, this is my shot to do something that isn't entirely soul crushing 'mam! I need your support in this!" 

The wolf chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "You know I have your back Gus." Vernon smiled. "I believe you can do it." The wolf turned to acknowledge the approaching fox.

"Hey the big fella!" Nick smirked, stopping next to the mammals.

"Howdy lil' red." Vernon smirked.

Now closer to the goat, Nick could see the new horn was an obvious prosthetic. It's color slightly brighter and more shiny than Gus' real horn.

"Ah a falsie horn." Nick gently tapped it, causing the goat to recoil slightly. "You can barely tell." Nick felt an elbow jab him in the side.

"NICK!" Looking down, Judy had caught up to him. She stared daggers at the fox. "Don't talk about a goats horns." She muttered.

"N-No, no,.." Gus waived his hooves dismissively. "It's fine really. You're actually the first mammal to notice it was fake."

"Judy! Nick!" The fox turned to see Bellwether handing the pup she was holding back to the otter. "It's great to see you both." Seemingly saying goodbye to the otter, she turned her attention back to them.

"You too Puffs." Nick grinned.

"Dawn you look great!" Judy added.

The ewe beamed in response. "Oh thank you Judy!"

"So what's with the fake horn bud?" Nick turned his attention back to the wolf and goat.

"NICK!" He heard Judy bark, but continued to ignore the rabbit.

The goat scratched behind his head awkwardly. "After the last infestation I had I decided to bite the bullet and get my bad horn removed." The goat shrugged.

Nick nodded. "Good plan, must have been a hard call to make." Nick knew that a goat or rams horns were much like a foxes tail, the size and luster was a mark of virility. So the goat making a choice like that must have been a blow to his ego.

"Yeah, it was hard. But at least I don't have to worry about bugs anymore." The billy shrugged.

Raising a hoof the goat pointed to his false horn. "This is just a temporary until they send me a proper replacement. The doctor is making a prosthetic that looks exactly like my other horn, but it isn't done yet."

Nick smiled. "Well I'm happy for you Mr. Hornsly. For that and your new business venture."

Vernon chuckled. "That being said Gus, don't expect me to be pulling any shifts for you anytime soon. I've got enough on my plate at city hall."

"Don't worry!" Gus motioned over to the bored vixen leaning on her motorcycle. "I'll have Val at the very least, she has a rather nasty habit of making herself un-employable by most other mammals standards."

The vixen rolled her eyes." Pft...I'm just looking forward to making fun of more nerds." She blew another bubble, allowing it to pop to punctuate the end of her sentence.

Nick eyed the fiery red motorcycle, it looked almost exactly the same as the one Vernon had trashed months ago.

"That new?" He asked.

"Naw." The vixen grinned. "I had to get this out of the scrapyard after old sheep for brains trashed it." Val cocked her head at the wolf.

Vernon squirmed uncomfortably in response to the vixen's glare. The wolf raised his paws defensively. "H-hey I did offer to pay for a new one." The wolf stammered. "Y-you're the one who wanted to refurbish the one I ruined."

The Vixen leaned over her handle bars, giving the group a proud grin. "I wasn't letting my baby go out like that. They don't even make 'em like this anymore! You think I was gonna settle for some modern bamboo burner?"

Vernon looked at Nick nervously. "To be fair, I did at least pay for parts."

Nick chuckled.

"Well, we should get going shouldn't we?" The fox turned his attention back to Dawn who had previously been prattling away with Judy. The ewe held up a cell phone toward the wolf. The face read five-fifteen.

"We've got another fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant." The ewe concluded, hopping off the table.

"Just as well." Gus added. "Val and me are remodeling the new store to get it ready for the grand opening." The billy made his way over to the vixen, and did his best to clamber onto the back of her bike.

"Have fun Sheepdog!" Gus teased at the wolf. 

"Yeah, yeah..." The wolf chuckled as he rose from his seat.

Nick watched as the goat seemed to brace himself against the teenage fox, his eyes screaming with uncertainty and terror. Val grinned smugly back at the fearful goat.

"T-try not to speed this time...okay? I don't want to have a f-fainting episode and fall off." Gus said timidly.

Val eyed Nick, flashing him a smirk. "You on duty?"

Nick shook his head. Val's smirk expanded to a full mischievous grin as she turned back to the poor old billy.

"No promises." Val gave the engine a hard rev. The vixen toddled her bike over to the edge of the street, and with a final wave her motorcycle let out a booming snarl as it zipped off down the street. Nick could hear Gus' shriek as it faded into the background noise of the city before disappearing entirely.

"C'mon Nick!" The fox turned to see the assembled party were more than half way back to the car, his date waiving him over. "Let's get going!"

The fox shrugged before making his stroll back to the red hot sports car.

Dawn seated herself comfortably in the back seat next to Vernon as they waited for Nick to get in the car. It didn't take long for her to feel the familiar grip of the wolf's arm cloak around her shoulder. She nestled in closer to him, letting out a contented sigh.

She watched Nick slide into the driver's seat. Before starting the car he turned to face the pair.

"Seatbelts you two, it's the law." The fox chuckled.

Dawn stifled a laugh, but did as she was told. Once the fox was seemingly satisfied he turned back to the wheel. With a growl the engine came alive, and in short order Nick had pulled out into the road and began the drive to their destination.

It didn't take long for Judy to pick up the discussion where they left off. The rabbit turned around quickly, excitement in her eyes.

"I still can't BELIEVE you spoke to Gazelle!" Judy chirped.

Dawn laughed. "Me neither. I wish I were a bigger fan though." The ewe's smile faltered slightly.

"You don't like her music?" Judy looked concerned, seemingly almost hurt by the idea that a mammal didn't like Gazelle.

"Honestly..." Dawn shook her head. "I used to hate her music." Dawn flicked her hooves to emphasize the point. "I've always been more of a 'Beagles' or 'Suri Nicks' kind of lamb."

The rabbit looked shocked, and her ears seemed to deflate. "Suri Nicks?"

Dawn traded the rabbit her own confused stare. "Fleetwood Yak? She was the Llama lead singer in the band."

"OH." Judy nodded. "Oh I see." Judy's demeanor still oozed with disappointment, and Dawn was quick to get back on track.

"Anyway, I thought Gazelle's music was just the same meaningless manufactured pop fluff that she didn't even write, and it was all fake." Dawn sighed. "But after talking to her, it's clear how passionate she is about her music and writing." The ewe smiled, which seemed to perk the rabbit up.

"I may not be super into her music. But I'm honored my book touched and inspired her." The ewe adjusted her glasses. "And I'll admit I have developed a new appreciation for her song 'Try everything'.

Dawn glanced up at Vernon, and the wolf gave her a soft smile.

"I feel like my life has become kind of a reflection of that song." Dawn chuckled. Turning back to Judy she could see the rabbit was smiling.

"Oh! And she's really sweet!" Dawn added.

"I thought she was!" Judy responded, her face beaming with joy. Dawn sighed mentally, glad she had managed to diffuse the situation.

"So what's this about writing a sequel book?" Nick piped up. The fox didn't even turn, his eyes still on the road.

Dawn looked up at Vernon, tapping her hooves together nervously. Vernon simply smiled, giving her a slight nudge with the arm he had draped around her. The ewe gave him a meek smile before looking back at Judy.

"W-Weeell..." Dawn drew the word out. "I was thinking about doing a compendium of the personal experiences of other interspecies couples." Dawn bit her lip, she was certain that at any moment they would catch on.

"It's actually what I spoke to Gazelle about in length. I'm advising a bit on her album inspired by our book, and she's supplying a personal account of her relationship." The ewe smiled weakly, continuing to tap her hooves together.

"But....well....we are looking for more stories..." Dawn looked down worriedly. "Not every mammal is willing to risk the possible social fallout that comes with admitting you're dating a mammal that was either once food to your species, or once ate your species."

Dawn looked back up at Judy. The rabbit had confusion plastered all over her face. Dawn was about to continue when Nick cut in.

"And I'm guessing you want us in this one huh?" Again he didn't turn.

Judy looked back at Nick still confused before snapping back to face Dawn. Judy's eyes went wide, and her ears stood pointedly.

"Wait...us?" Judy stuttered.

Dawn simply nodded.

"So this is why you finally have some free time to do the double date thing, you're buttering us up huh?" Nick chuckled.

"Oh no, no! Of course not!" Dawn pleaded, waiving her hooves defensively. "We've been dying to see you both. Really!" Dawn looked up at Vernon, twisting her hooves nervously.

"Yep, we missed that wit of yours Nick." Vernon laughed.

"Vernon!" Dawn swatted a hoof at the wolf. Turning back to Judy she wrung her hooves together worryingly.

"Y-you don't have to." She stammered. "I just thought, m-maybe you'd like to b-be part of it."

Judy glanced back at her partner, and for the first time the ewe saw the fox turn slightly. He flashed an odd glance at the rabbit, one she couldn't quite read. Slowly Judy turned back to the ewe, her face seemingly stymied. 

"I-I don't know Dawn..." Judy sighed. "Give us some time. I-It's hard, you know? With our jobs and everyth-"

"I understand completely." Dawn smiled weakly. 

"I mean our friends at the station are fine with it. But if the public found out...they...I mean." The rabbit stuttered.

"They already have their suspicions." Nick interjected, his eyes still locked on the road ahead. "But until we get caught kissing in public there is reasonable doubt."

"What Nick means to say is..." The rabbit fidgeted uneasily. "If it was widely known, the public might push for us to be...well..." The rabbit bit her lip. "let go."

"So from our side this just looks like two best friends meeting a couple, for our own safety." Nick stated.

"I-I'm sorry Dawn, maybe in time we ca-"

"Take all the time you need Judy." Dawn reassured, keeping her weak smile up. It was disappointing, but not wholly unexpected to the ewe. "It'll be a while before I finish this one anyway."

The car fell somewhat silent after that, remaining that way until they arrived at the familiar restaurant. Vernon walked around to open the door for the ewe, helping her off onto the curb. Dawn adjusted her skirt, looking up at Vernon for reassurance. The wolf rolled his eyes.

"You look beautiful Darlin'. Don't fret." The wolf gave her a gentle pat on her head.

"Say, you guys going to get your own car or is picking you up going to become a thing?" Nick sidled up next to the pair, passing his keys off to the ferret valet waiting by the door. Nick eyed the rodent warily for a brief moment. "No scratches, no joyrides." The fox hissed before returning to his usual smug demeanor. "All that book money has gotta buy you some fancy stuff."

Dawn shook her head. "It's not that much, really. It's not a best seller."

"I have a feeling that's about to change considering who's endorsing you." Nick snarked.

"Dawn can't drive either, and I only have a moped license that is now out of date." The wolf shrugged." And I haven't really had time to go to the DMV. I don't have a month's worth of free time to waste there." Vernon chuckled.

"I might know a guy who can help you out." The fox grinned, but Dawn sensed a mischievousness in his tone.

"Can we go in already?" Judy was now standing next to them, her paws rubbing her forearms. "It's getting chilly out here."

Nick waived his paw ahead of him, leading the rabbit forward. As Judy marched toward the door the fox shot the pair a glance before dutifully following the doe.

Dawn giggled as she watched the pair disappear into the entryway of the 'Grazer's Grill'. The pair may have been apprehensive about wearing it on their sleeves, but the two really were an adorable couple. 

"Ahem, madam?" Dawn turned to see Vernon had leaned down, extending his paw out to the ewe. Dawn gingerly took it into her hoof, grinning broadly back up at the wolf.

"Such a gentlemam." Dawn chuckled.

"I'd like to think so ma'am." The wolf grinned back.

Dawn took a last look up at the 'Grazer's Green' sign, it's neon green hue beaming brightly against the night sky. In that moment she found herself slightly in awe of everything that had happened leading up to this moment. All the misery, all the mistakes, all the mammals she had hurt, the friends she had lost. She could still remember what it felt like to be truly hated, and to deserve it. Less than a year ago she had been ready to give up on trying to live at all. 

But thanks to a few mammals who truly cared she was able to pull through it, to change things for the better. She thought back to Polaraski, the kind bear who gave her a chance when no one else would. Who had went out of his way to protect her despite how little she deserved it. Nick, who despite the lamb's past actions still gave the ewe a fair and critical eye when it came to studying her case. Even when things looked it's darkest, the fox withheld his judgment when blaming Dawn would have been the easiest thing to do.

Judy, who despite absolutely hating her at the time, still saved her life when she needed it. Who would go on to apologize and admit her fault when it came to the bias undermining her better judgment. To her love Vernon, who even before remembering who she was reached out to help her. Who had fallen in love with her despite her species as well as her crimes. The wolf had given her a new lease on her life, and something to live for. If it hadn't been for them, for all of them, she wouldn't be here now, Zootopia wouldn't be here now. 

"everyone deserves a second chance, especially if they are trying." Dawn remembered the words Vernon had uttered to her before pulling away on his Vixspa.

She had been given her second chance, and she was making the most of it. She may never fully think she deserved it, but she was more than happy with how it turned out. Dawn looked back at the wolf with adoring eyes. Vernon cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

"You okay Floofs?" He asked.

Dawn pet the wolf's paw gently, still staring deeply into Vernon's eyes.

"I love you." She smiled.

A smile crawled across the wolf's face.

"I love you too Darlin'." The wolf replied.

And with that, the two strolled into the entrance of the restaurant.


End file.
